T 

JL 

MRS.TUBBS 


MARGARET 
SIDNEY 


SALLY 

MRS.    TUBES 


SALLY 

MRS.    TUBES 

By   MARGARET   SIDNEY 

AUTHOR  OF  "FIVE  LITTLE  PEPPERS,  AND  How 
THEY  GREW,"  "  OLD  CONCORD  :  HER  HIGHWAYS 
AND  BYWAYS,"  "A  LITTLE  MAID  OF  CONCORD 

TOWN,"  "WHITHER  WITH  THE  CHILDREN,"   ETC. 


LOTHROP  •  PUBLISHING  •  COMPANY 
BOSTON 


Norfoootr  tyres* 

J.  a.  Gushing  &  Co.  -  Berwick  &  Smith  Co. 
Norwood,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


P51 


To  all  who  love  simplicity,  truth,  and 
cheerfulness 


91S281 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

" 


One 

Two  ..........  « 

Three         .........  63 

Four  ..........  88 

Five  ..........  1C1 

Si,     ..........  12° 

Seven         .........  189 

Eight         .........  15S 


SALLY 

MRS.    TUBES 


SALLY,  MRS.   TUBES 

ONE 


E  atmosphere  was  charged,  so 
to  speak,  with  such  solid  sat- 
isfaction when  Miss  Sally 
Plunkett  emerged  from  the 
humble  dwelling  of  the  justice  of  the  peace 
as  Mrs.  Abijah  Tubbs,  that  it  seemed  the 
controlling  element  for  the  whole  country- 
side. 

It  had  been  "  up  and  early  "  to  get  their 
work  done,  with  all  the  neighbours  who 
meant  to  be  present  at  the  virgin  attrac- 
tions of  Miss  Sally's  entry  into  Justice 
Spender's  office,  and  it  was  "  get  there 
quick"  also  with  all  the  small  boys  and 
smaller  girls  who  had  counted  on  the  show 
ever  since  the  engagement  was  announced. 
For  Miss  Sally  had  in  the  short  time 
11 


12  SALLY,   MBS.   TUBES 

between  her  betrothal  and  its  consumma- 
tion in  marriage,  made  diligent  use  of  all 
possible  verbal  channels  to  spread  the  infor- 
mation as  to  every  detail  of  her  union  with 
the  man  of  her  choice. 

"  I  ain't  got  much  time  to  git  ready  in, 
an*  that's  a  fact,  but  if  I  wait,  I  won't 
nerve  him  up  to  it  again,  most  likely,  an' 
it's  better  to  git  a  husband  than  to  have 
more  clothes  an'  fixin's.  Mrs.  Tubbs  — 
won't  that  sound  grand,  though  !  " 

She  tossed  her  head,  at  that  moment  try- 
ing on  the  wedding  bonnet,  a  splendid  affair, 
with  its  bright  green  ostrich  feather  observ- 
ing the  correct  angle ;  its  wreath  of  pink 
roses,  and  the  final  glory  of  its  long,  white 
cotton  veil  of  a  sprawling  pattern  that  till 
that  day  had  reposed  as  a  curtain  on  the 
shelf  of  the  village  storekeeper. 

"  Ain't  I  just  delicious  !  "  stalking  back 
and  forth  in  front  of  the  big,  cracked 
Plunkett  looking-glass. 


SALLY,  MRS.   TUBES  13 

"  I  wish  to  goodness  'twas  to-day  an'  I 
was  sure  an'  fast  Mrs.  Tubbs.  You  never 
can  be  pos'tive  about  these  men.  My !  sech 
a'  sight  o'  trouble  as  I've  had  to  land  'Bijah  ! 
An'  he  not  much  bigger'n  a  pint  cup.  But 
then,  he's  a  man,  an'  I'll  be  a  merried 
woman 's  much  as  if  he  was  sizable  like 
other  folks.  Then,  says  I,  see  'em  bow  an' 
say,  <  Good  mornin',  Mrs.  Tubbs.'  " 

She  courtesied  to  the  right  and  to  the 
left,  in  response  to  these  future  salutations, 
the  green  feather  waving  in  unison  and  the 
sprawling  figures  of  the  cotton  lace  veil 
making  a  brave  show  on  either  side  of  her 
spare,  autumnal  figure. 

"  Sally,  what  do  you  want  to  git  merried 
fer  ?  "  her  intimate  friend  and  neighbour, 
the  widow  Panks,  asked  when  the  sudden 
news  of  the  matrimonial  intentions  of  Miss 
Plunkett  thrilled  the  entire  community. 
"  We  know  'Bijah  Tubbs  don't  have  nothin' 
to  do  with  gittin'  it  up." 


14  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

"No,"  said  Sally,  calmly,  "he  don't;  not 
a  mite.  An'  such  a  sight  o'  trouble  as  I've 
had,  Mis'  Panks,  to  bring  him  round  to  it." 
She  leaned  her  long  arms  on  the  top  rail 
of  the  fence  dividing  their  dwellings,  and 
gazed  into  the  widow's  face  opposite  for  a 
chance  gleam  of  sympathy. 

"  You  must  'a'  had,"  assented  Mrs.  Panks, 
filliping  a  belated  ant  from  the  rail  with  a 
red  forefinger ;  "  but  why  on  earth  couldn't 
you  'a'  let  him  alone,  Sally  ?  'Bijah  hain't 
never  hurt  no  one,  an'  he'd  ought  to  be  let 
to  go  his  own  way." 

"Well,  he  ain't  goin'  to  be  let  alone," 
declared  Sally,  "an'  I'm  goin'  to  be  Mrs. 
Tubbs.  We'll  be  merried  Sat' day  at  Jus- 
tice Spender's.  You  tell  everybody,  Mis' 
Panks  —  there  ain't  no  time  fer  me  to  go 
round  an'  invite  folks.  Say,  I  want  'em  to 
be  out  on  the  road  an'  see  us  go  in,  an' 
afterward  we'll  all  march,  'Bijah  an'  me  — 
Mrs.  Tubbs  —  at  top,  in  percession  to  my 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  15 

house,  an'  I'll  have  cake  an'  lem'nade  set 
out  fer  a  treat." 

It  was  impossible  to  interrupt  this  an- 
nouncement, for  it  gushed  out  with  such 
jubilant  force. 

"Sat day!"  screamed  the  widow  when 
she  got  her  breath.  "Why,  it's  only  Thurs- 
day, to-day,  Sally  Plunkett !  " 

"  I  know ;  we'd  been  merried  to-morrow, 
but  fer  that.  A  Friday  —  my  sakes  !  —  it's 
bad  enough  to  have  'Bijah  Tubbs  fer  life, 
without  no  more  calamities." 

"  What  in  the  world  did  you  take  up  with 
him  fer,  anyway,  Sally?"  demanded  Mrs. 
Panks. 

"  Because  I  couldn't  be  a  merried  woman 
without  him,"  said  Miss  Plunkett,  bringing 
her  pale  green  eyes  fully  to  bear  on  her 
friend  in  astonishment  at  the  question. 

"  P'r'aps  some  one  else  would  'a'  happened 
along,  Sally,"  observed  Mrs.  Panks,  casting 
a  deep  line  of  thought  in  her  mind.  "  You 


16  SALLY,   MRS.    TUBES 

ain't  but  forty-eight,  an'  if  you'd  'a'  waited, 
you  —  " 

"  Yes,  I  be ;  forty-nine  last  Washin' ton's 
birthday,"  interrupted  the  bride-elect.  "I 
tell  you,  I  ain't  a-goin'  to  wait  till  I'm  fifty; 
an',  besides,  'Bijah  might  die,  an'  then 
where'd  I  be?  I  couldn't  never  be  Mrs. 
Tubbs."  Her  long,  spare  cheek  turned 
pale  at  the  thought;  and  Mrs.  Panks 
ducked  her  round  face  to  escape  the  right- 
eous indignation  that  leaped  from  Miss 
Plunkett's  eyes. 

"Well,  somebody  else  might  'a'  come 
along,"  she  repeated  by  way  of  soothing. 

"  No,  they  wouldn't.  There  ain't  a  mite 
o'  use  in  your  standin'  there  an'  tellin'  me 
that,  Nancy  Panks,  an'  you  know  it.  'Bijah 
is  my  only  chance,  an'  I've  took  him,  'cause 
I  ain't  goin'  to  be  an'  old  maid,  an'  I  will 
be  if  I  strike  fifty  unmerried.  An',  besides, 
when  I  die,  I'm  goin'  to  have  '  relict '  on  my 
tomb.  I've  just  set  my  heart  on  that." 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  17 

"  You  may  be  took  first,"  observed  Mrs. 
Panks,  dryly. 

"  P'r'aps  so ;  there  ain't  no  use  in  opposin' 
th'  Lord's  will,  an'  you  know  me,  Nancy, 
that  I  ain't  one  that  wants  to.  But  I'll  be 
Mrs.  Tubbs,  —  the  beloved  wife  of  Abijah 
Tubbs,  —  so  my  tombstone  is  goin'  to  look 
nice,  any  way  you  fix  it.  Well,  you  all  be 
there  at  nine  o'clock  Sat' day  mornin'  sharp." 

"It's  a  pity  'Bijah  ain't  a  leetle  grain 
nearer  your  size,  Sally,"  said  Mrs.  Panks, 
her  small  black  eyes  roving  up  and  down 
the  long,  angular  frame  before  her. 

"I  don't  feel  no  call  to  be  complainin'  o' 
Providence  that  He  didn't  make  'Bijah 
bigger,"  observed  Miss  Plunkett.  "I'm 
thankful  enough  fer  half  a  loaf  if  I  can't 
git  a  whole  one;  an'  that  th'  Lord  give 
me  th'  opportunity  o'  gittin'  'Bijah  at  all. 
So  you  be  sure  you  tell  all  the  folks.  Land 
sakes,  an'  here  I  stand  an'  my  weddin' 
fixin's  not  begun!" 


18  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

"  Don't  you  want  me  to  help  you  make 
your  cake,  Sally  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Panks,  itch- 
ing for  the  revelations  of  the  little  three- 
roomed  cottage,  that  such  an  intimate 
association  in  work  might  unfold. 

"No,  I  don't,"  declared  Miss  Sally,  shortly, 
"an'  you  ain't  a-goin'  to  catch  a  squint  at 
my  weddin'  gown  an'  bunnit,  nor  so  much 
as  a  pinhead  of  nothin'  till  you  see  me  start 
fer  th'  justice's.  You  needn't  think  it, 
Nancy." 

"  I  wasn't  a-thinkin'  o'  that,  Sally,"  be- 
gan Mrs.  Panks,  much  offended. 

"Oh,  yes,  you  were;  but  all  the  same 
you  don't  do  it.  I  tell  you  how  you  may 
help  if  you  want  to.  You  git  your  young 
ones  to  pick  a  lot  o'  daisies  an'  green  things 
an'  bring  here.  I'm  a-goin'  to  have  a  mer- 
riage  bell  in  my  parlour  to  stand  under, 
'Bijah  an*  me,  when  we  git  home  an'  you 
all  come  up  to  say,  '  How  do  you  do,  Mrs. 
Tubbs?'"  She  made  such  a  marvellous 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  19 

courtesy,  picking  up  each  side  of  her  blue 
checked  gown,  that  Mrs.  Panks  stood  on 
tiptoe  to  peer  over  the  fence  railing  to  view 
the  whole  performance. 

"I  can't  never  do  that,  Sally,"  she 
gasped ;  "  I  sh'd  tumble  on  my  nose." 

"Do  the  best  you  can,"  counselled  Miss 
Plunkett,  coming  up  to  her  own  height 
serenely;  "th'  Lord  never  intended  any 
one  to  do  more,  I  guess.  An'  a  tub  must 
roll,  I  s'pose,  to  th'  end  of  its  days.  Well, 
good-by;  remember  an'  git  them  flowers; 
it's  the  last  request  of  Sally  Plunkett," 
and  she  disappeared  within  her  virgin 
dwelling. 

The  desire  for  this  floral  display,  along 
with  all  the  other  details  of  Miss  Plunkett's 
courtship  and  coming  marriage,  spreading 
to  all  quarters,  naturally  was  exploited  in 
the  corridors  and  on  the  piazzas  of  the  vil- 
lage inn,  filled  with  its  usual  quota  of  sum- 
mer boarders.  Some  of  them  had  known 


20  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

Miss  Plunkett  for  many  seasons,  as  she  had 
the  reputation  of  doing  up  shirt  waists  bet- 
ter than  any  other  village  woman.  The 
innkeeper  fanned  the  flame  of  curious  in- 
quiry set  going  by  Miss  Sally's  conquest, 
and  gladly  dished  up  all  the  gossip  of  the 
place.  Old  Ira  Plunkett,  stern,  hard-fisted, 
and  hard-headed,  had  yet  such  a  code  of 
morals  as  prevented  him  from  taking  ad- 
vantage of  the  evident  desire  of  his  father, 
who  didn't  have  the  ability  to  express  it 
clearly  in  his  will,  that  Ira  should  have  the 
farm.  The  lawyers  easily  made  this  fact 
apparent.  Ira  would  have  none  of  it  if 
there  was  a  quibble  to  which  his  good-for- 
nothing  brother  Abram,  many  years  his 
junior,  could  hitch  an  objection.  He 
dropped  the  farm  where  he  had  toiled  as 
a  slave  till  his  fortieth  year,  like  a  hot 
potato,  so  to  speak,  and  with  his  daughter 
(his  wife  had  died  some  years  before)  re- 
tired to  a  cabin  on  the  village  edge,  from 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  21 

which  he  saw  his  brother  sell  the  old  farm 
at  auction,  pocket  the  gains,  cursing  be- 
cause they  were  not  larger,  and  depart 
without  a  farewell  word,  to  lose  himself 
in  the  big  world. 

Ira  Plimkett  shut  his  mouth  fast  and 
uttered  no  syllable  while  he  "  buckled  to  " 
and  did  jobs  for  the  farmers  and  got  on 
somehow.  And  Sally  scraped  and  pinched ; 
and  here  after  thirty  years  she  was  eking 
out  a  scanty  living  by  washing  for  the  sum- 
mer boarders. 

"I  tell  you,  sir,"  —  the  innkeeper  would 
bring  his  hand  down  smartly  on  the  guests' 
registry  book,  while  detailing  the  story  to 
some  after-dinner  smoker, — "Ira  Plunkett's 
heart  was  clean  broke  all  that  twenty  year 
(he  died  some  ten  year  back).  I  used  to  see 
him  a-standin'  on  th'  edge  of  th'  south 
medder  many  a  Sunday  afternoon,  —  an 
Irishman  bought  th'  farm;  didn't  know 
how  to  work  it,  sold  off  th'  best  part, 


22  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

and  th'  rest  of  course  all  ran  down  at  th' 
heel,  —  an'  such  a  look  on  th'  old  man's 
face !  An'  as  soon  as  he  see  me,  he'd  step 
up,  an'  begin  talkin'  about  th'  sermon,  an' 
th'  weather,  an'  th'  crops,  an'  th'  Lord 
knows  what  all.  An'  you'd  think  he 
owned  th'  whole  town,  to  see  how  ca'm 
he  was." 

"What  about  Miss  Sally?"  queried  the 
boarder;  "she's  a  character,  isn't  she?" 

"  I  sh'd  say,"  responded  Boniface.  "  Well, 
Sally  took  care  of  her  father.  I  guess,  with 
all  his  ca'mness,  he  warn't  none  too  easy  to 
manage ;  an'  th'  last  few  years  of  th'  old 
man's  life  he  was  bedrid,  an'  died  hard,  — 
that  was  ten  year  ago,  as  I  said  before, — an' 
she  had  an  awful  tough  time." 

"  Well,  I'm  glad  she's  going  to  have  hap- 
piness at  last,"  observed  the  boarder,  lightly. 

The  innkeeper  grinned.  "  Yes,  she'll  be 
Mrs.  Tubbs  —  an'  that's  enough  fer  her; 
she  hates  an  old  maid  like  p'isen." 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  23 

"Is  this  Mr.  Tubbs  a  fair  sort  of  man, 
Mr.  Barlow?"  propounded  the  summer 
guest. 

Mr.  Barlow  whistled.  "Well,  you  can't 
'xactly  call  him  a  man,  bein'  he's  about  big 
enough  for  a  good  half  o'  one.  Why,  he's 
just  'Bijah  Tubbs.  Hain't  you  seen  him 
about  here,  Mr.  Russell?" 

No ;  Mr.  Russell  could  not  call  to  mind 
any  one  who  had  been  designated  in  his 
presence  by  that  cognomen. 

"  Sho  —  is  that  so  ?  I  thought  everybody 
knew  'Bijah.  He's  a  stand-by  in  Hillsboro ; 
his  father  an'  gran'father  lived  an'  died 
here;  his  fambly's  good.  But  bein'  small, 
he  hain't  had  no  call  to  git  up  an'  git,  I 
s'pose,  an'  so  he  just  does  odd  jobs.  But 
he's  always  to  church  stiddy  as  Sunday 
comes,  an'  puts  five  cents  in  th'  contribu- 
tion box;  I  know,  'cause  I  take  one  round. 
An'  some  other  folks  with  bustin'  big  farms 
hain't  souls  above  pennies."  Mr.  Barlow's 


24  SALLY,  MRS.   TUBES 

rubicund  countenance  glowed  deeper  in 
scorn. 

Mr.  Russell,  with  the  thought  of  suggest- 
ing to  his  wife  that  the  ladies  should  get  up 
a  good  "send-off"  for  Miss  Plunkett,  was 
turning  away,  when  Mr.  Barlow  called  out, 
"  Here's  'Bijah  now !  he's  comin'  to  git  th' 
mail  bag." 

A  little  spare  man,  who  was  made  less 
in  height  by  a  deprecating  stoop  of  the 
shoulders,  shambled  up  the  inn  steps  and 
along  the  piazza.  It  was  impossible  to  see 
his  eyes,  for  they  were  downcast  and  over- 
shadowed by  the  brim  of  his  straw  hat 
dragged  well  down  over  them.  The  lower 
part  of  his  small,  thin  countenance  being  ob- 
scured by  his  collar,  into  which  it  had  slunk, 
not  much  advantage  could  be  gained  by  any 
attempt  to  compass  his  face. 

Mr.  Russell  went  out  and  met  him,  to  say 
pleasantly,  "  Good  morning." 

"  Mornin',"  said  Mr.  Tubbs. 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  25 

"Do  you  think  we  are  going  to  have  rain?  " 
Mr.  Russell  filliped  the  ashes  carelessly  from 
his  cigar  end  and  glanced  at  the  clouds. 

"We  may  an'  we  may  not,"  said  Mr. 
Tubbs.  « I  d'no." 

"I  trust  it  will  not  rain  to-morrow,  on 
your  wedding  day.  And  let  me  congratu- 
late you,  Mr.  Tubbs.  I  hear  nothing  but 
good  of  Miss  Plunkett." 

A  look  of  abject  terror  possessed  the  little 
man.  "  It's  dretful  hard  on  me."  He  shook 
all  over. 

"She  is  such  a  good  woman,"  said  the 
summer  boarder,  reassuringly.  "You  are 
lucky  to  get  her." 

"  She  would  have  it  so,"  cried  Mr.  Tubbs, 
who  in  his  misery  seemed  delighted  to  talk. 
"  She's  ben  at  me  fer  years.  An'  I  told  her 
'  No '  every  time." 

"  Well,  I  am  sure  it  is  better  for  you  to 
be  married.  You  will  have  some  one  to 
take  care  of  you." 


26  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

"  I  don't  want  to  be  took  care  of."  He 
almost  snarled  it  out.  "  I  was  well  enough, 
if  she'd  only  let  me  alone." 

"  They  say  she  is  a  fine  cook,"  observed 
the  gentleman,  carelessly.  "  She  must  be, 
judging  from  some  specimens  of  her  work 
when  she  helped  Mrs.  Barlow  the  other  day." 

Abijah  Tubbs's  little  pale  eyes  gleamed. 
"  That's  th'  only  part  that  suits  me  about 
th'  hull  thing,"  he  said  at  last. 

"Now  you  must  make  her  happy,  Mr. 
Tubbs,"  said  the  summer  boarder,  with  a 
keen  glance.  "  The  ladies  are  all  very  fond 
of  Miss  Plunkett.  She's  a  good  soul,  and 
you  must  make  her  a  good  husband." 

"She  might  'a'  let  me  alone,"  said  Abijah, 
returning  to  the  charge,  all  his  terrors  fresh 
upon  him  at  the  word  "  husband."  And  the 
landlord  shaking  the  mail  bag  at  him  from 
the  doorway,  he  shuffled  off  with  it. 

"What  shall  we  get  her?"  The  girls 
crowded  around  Violet  Van  Wyck  on  the 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  27 

veranda  steps  of  the  inn.  The  young  men 
poured  into  her  hands  the  collection  they 
had  taken  up. 

"  Spoons  —  spoons  !  "  declared  Violet. 
"It's  the  dearest  wish  of  her  heart  to 
possess  real  silver  spoons." 

"Except  to  be  Mrs.  Tubbs,"  some  one 
cried  out. 

"  Here's  a  five-dollar  bill !  "  cried  one  of 
the  girls,  poking  in  the  heap  of  money. 
"Oh  — and  a  ten!" 

"  That's  from  Mr.  Russell,"  said  Charley 
Van  Wyck,  balancing  himself  on  the  piazza 
railing.  "I  collected  that  —  " 

"Thirty-one  dollars  and  seventy-five 
cents,"  announced  Violet.  "Oh — oh! 
there's  enough  for  both!  Mrs.  Russell 
and  mamma  give  the  cake  and  lemonade, 
you  know." 

"  Both  what  ?  "  cried  the  group. 

"  I  heard  her  say  once  she'd  give  any- 
thing to  have  a  '  Pilgrim's  Progress,'  full 


28  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

of  pictures,  on  her  centre-table.  Now,  one 
of  you  must  go  into  town  this  afternoon 
and  buy  it." 

"  Charles  Augustus,  it's  up  to  you,"  cried 
one  of  the  men. 

"  Not  much !  "  declared  Charles  Augustus, 
dangling  his  feet  from  the  railing. 

"  Oh,  come  on,  Mr.  Van  Wyck,"  cried 
Bessie  Beach,  rushing  up  to  him.  "  A  lot 
of  us  will  go  with  you.  It  will  be  such  a 
lark." 

But  Charles  Augustus  still  surveyed  them 
all  calmly  from  his  perch,  protesting  he 
wouldn't  go  one  inch. 

"  Only  one  must  go,"  declared  Violet. 
"  The  rest  of  us  have  to  make  the  marriage 
bell.  We  are  going  to  carry  it  over  to  her 
in  the  morning,  you  know." 

"No  one  seems  to  volunteer,"  observed 
Charles  Augustus,  dryly. 

Miss  Van  Wyck  did  not  look  at  any  one  in 
particular,  but  consulted  the  little  tablet  on 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  29 

her  chatelaine.  A  young  man  on  the  edge 
of  the  circle  seemed  to  feel  some  subtile  sum- 
mons, however,  for  he  said  presently,  "  I'll 
go ;  any  other  commands  for  the  town  ?  " 
and  was  well  repaid  as  she  lifted  her  blue 
eyes,  albeit  the  fun  over  the  "  marriage 
bell "  would  be  lost  to  Richard  Blair. 

"  Sally,  ain't  you  'feared  he  won't  come  at 
all  ?  "  It  was  an  awful  whisper  the  widow 
Panks  emitted,  and  distinctly  recognisable 
to  all  the  company  assembled  in  Miss 
Sally's  yard.  It  was  five  minutes  past  nine 
o'clock  Saturday  morning. 

"  Nancy  Panks,  ye  are  a  fool ! "  said  the 
bride-elect.  Then  she  craned  her  long  neck 
to  search  the  roadway. 

"I'll  go  after  him,"  screamed  Johnny 
Panks,  eagerly,  "I'll  go  !  "  More  than  one 
young  man  boarder  volunteered  to  corral 
the  bridegroom. 

"  Much  obleeged,"  said  Sally  with  a  pleas- 
ant bow,  the  cotton  lace  veil  sweeping  the 


30  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

ground.  "  Johnny  Panks,  you  take  care  o' 
your  ma,  an'  wait  till  you're  spoken  to  be- 
fore you  git  presumptions.  It's  best  fer  me 
to  go  myself."  She  plucked  up  her  gown 
on  either  side,  and  stalked  off  toward  the 
miserable  little  shanty  her  prospective  hus- 
band called  home. 

Left  behind,  the  guests  invited  to  join 
the  wedding  procession  had  nothing  to  do 
but  to  watch  her  as  long  as  the  nature  of 
the  road  permitted.  Sally's  chief  ambition 
being  the  wedding  veil  and  the  bonnet  from 
which  it  depended,  there  had  been  little 
time  to  spend  on  the  wedding  gown,  and 
still  less  money.  "What  odds?"  she  said  to 
herself  happily,  "  th'  veil's  th'  main  thing ; 
an'  it's  big-flowered,  so  th'  most  el'gant 
frock  in  th'  world  wouldn't  show  through 
much." 

She  therefore  brought  forth  her  best 
gown,  a  red  merino.  She  had  packed  it 
away  in  camphor  against  the  moths,  and 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  31 

now  brushed  it  up  carefully  again.  It  was 
a  very  hot  day,  but  that  made  no  difference 
in  the  contentment  with  which  she  viewed 
it.  The  bonnet  worn  for  so  many  seasons 
that  she  had  forgotten  to  count  them,  de- 
lighted her  beyond  expression.  "It's  per- 
fectly beautiful,"  she  cried  again  and  again 
as  she  surmounted  it  with  the  veil  and 
placed  upon  that  the  bright  pink  wreath  of 
roses  and  the  green  feather.  "  I  sh'd  never 
know  'twarn't  brand  new." 

She  now  stepped  forth  as  we  have  seen,  if 
not  with  happy,  at  least  with  determined 
footsteps,  and  just  as  hope  was  beginning 
to  be  abandoned  by  the  wedding  party,  ap- 
peared over  the  brow  of  the  hill.  Abijah 
Tubbs  was  with  her. 

"  All  right,"  announced  Sally,  on  regain- 
ing them.  "  Come,  'Bijah,  you  an'  me  must 
go  first." 

Mrs.  Panks  and  family  marched  next  to 
Miss  Plunkett  and  Mr.  Tubbs,  as  befitted 


32  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

the  great  intimacy  for  years  over  the  well- 
worn  fence.  At  the  last  minute  there  was 
a  commotion  in  the  widow's  brood,  and  little 
Susan  rushed  forth  and  ran  to  Sally.  "  I'm 
goin'  with  you,"  she  piped,  and  clutched  the 
wedding  veil. 

There  was  an  awful  pause,  broken  by  the 
shout  from  the  dismayed  widow :  "  Come 
back,  Susan.  Oh,  my  land  o'  liberty !  " 

"I'll  bring  her,"  volunteered  again 
Johnny. 

Sally  started  when  the  sacrilegious  hand 
was  laid  on  her  wedding  veil,  looked  down 
with  a  black  frown  on  her  brow,  to  see  two 
tears  rolling  off  small  Susan's  cheeks  and 
her  underlip  quivering.  She  was  the  child 
whom  Miss  Plunkett  had  helped  pull 
through  the  scarlet  fever. 

"Let  her  alone,"  she  said  grimly, 
"  'twon't  be  so  impressive  likely,  but  Susan's 
comin'  with  me.  There,  child,  you  mus'n't 
take  holt  o'  my  veil  ;  that  ain't  proper." 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  33 

She  untwisted  the  little  grimy  fingers.  Su- 
san immediately  grasped  the  red  merino 
gown,  and  wiped  her  tears  on  its  front 
breadth. 

It  wasn't  quite  like  a  circus  procession,  be- 
cause there  weren't  really  any  wild  animals, 
if  we  except  the  irrepressible  small  boy 
furnished  alike  by  Hillsboro  and  the  sum- 
mer-boarder element.  Some  of  the  young 
men  of  the  inn  contingent  would  have 
equalled  their  endeavours ;  but  Miss  Violet 
Van  Wyck,  failing  to  discover  any  great 
amount  of  fun  in  unseemly  proceedings,  the 
procession  moved  onward  with  much  deco- 
rum. 

When  they  all  halted  at  Justice  Spender's, 
Miss  Plunkett  turned  around,  telling  'Bijah 
to  do  the  same.  Little  Susan  whirled  with 
her,  still  clinging  to  her  gown. 

"  I  can't  ask  all  o'  you  to  go  in,"  said 
Sally.  "  My !  Mis'  Spender'd  be  crazy  at 
our  trackin'  up  her  floor,  even  if  ye  could 


34  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

git  in.  But  I  want  some  witnesses,  so  I 
s'pose,  Nancy  Panks,  I'll  have  to  ask  you 
an'  your  fam'ly,  to  save  th'  peace.  An' 
there's  Miss  Vi'let,  I  couldn't  never  be 
merried  without  her;  an'  her  ma,  an'  her 
pa  —  I  want  them." 

"  I  wish  I'd  treated  the  old  girl  with  at- 
tention," groaned  Charley  Van  Wyck. 

"  An'  Mr.  Barlow ;  'tain't  proper  to  leave 
him  out,  'cause  Mr.  Tubbs  has  carried  th' 
mail  bag  so  long;  an'  I  want  Mis'  Barlow. 
Well,  I  guess  that's  enough." 

Although  there  were  several  candidates 
to  her  favour,  who  considered  they  had 
claims,  and  thereby  endeavoured  to  press 
them,  Miss  Plunkett  closed  debate,  mar- 
shalled in  Mr.  Tubbs,  who  was  now  trem- 
bling visibly  and  it  seemed  to  him  very 
audibly;  the  lucky  ones  invited  to  the 
ceremony  followed,  and  the  little  justice 
closed  the  door. 

Miss  Plunkett  emerged  as  Mrs.  Tubbs, 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  35 

her  long  face  wreathed  in  smiles.  Mr. 
Tubbs,  by  whom  up  to  the  last  moment 
hopes  of  final  escape  had  been  indulged, 
now  sank  into  a  settled  despair  that  bent 
his  little  body  and  drooped  his  neck. 

"  He  ought  to  have  used  wool  soap,"  ob- 
served one  of  the  irreverent  young  men, 
"see  how  he's  shrunk!" 

They  had  been  married  with  the  ring, 
Sally  insisting  on  that.  She  had  instructed 
Mr.  Tubbs  all  about  it  on  the  engagement 
day  before  starting  on  their  way  to  get  the 
marriage  license ;  and  exhibited,  after  much 
unrolling  of  tissue  paper,  a  broad  golden 
circlet  that  just  fitted  her  toil-worn  finger. 

"I  bought  it  a  good  many  years  ago, 
'Bijah,  so  's  to  have  it  ready  in  case  I  did 
git  a  husband.  An'  I'm  sure  'tain't  fair  to 
'xpect  you'd  buy  one,  when  you  don't  want 
to  git  merried." 

"  No,  I  don't,"  said  the  truthful  'Bijah. 

"An*   so  it's   all  ready,"   observed   the 


36  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

bride-elect,  cheerfully.  "Now  when  Jus- 
tice Spender  stops  fer  you  to  put  it  on  my 
finger,  I'll  give  ye  a  nudge,  so  ye  can't  help 
but  understand." 

The  ring  now  shone  brightly  on  Mrs. 
Tubbs's  hand,  from  the  finger  devoted  to  that 
purpose.  The  Panks  children  told  afterward 
that  Mr.  Tubbs  dropped  it  twice ;  there  had 
been  much  scuffling  into  corners  after  it.  At 
last  it  was  safely  installed  as  sign  and  sym- 
bol of  the  union  of  Tubbs  and  Plunkett. 

"  An'  now  all  foller  in  percession  to  my 
house,"  cried  Mrs.  Tubbs  from  the  Spender 
doorstep.  "Me  an'  my  husband,  Mr.  Tubbs, 
will  stan'  under  th'  merriage  bell  an'  give 
you  a  reception  with  cake  an'  lem'nade. 
No,  no,  Nancy  Panks,"  the  widow's  family 
all  crowding  to  get  next  to  the  newly  married 
pair,  "  'tain't  proper  fer  you  to  march  first 
after  us  goin'  back.  Justice  Spender,  seein' 
he's  made  us  one,  an'  his  wife,  must  go  next. 
Come,  Justice ;  come,  Mis'  Spender." 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  37 

The  widow  could  not  conceal  her  vexa- 
tion, and  took  pains  to  inform  her  next 
neighbour  that  she  never  "  see  such  an  in- 
sult; an'  I'd  much  drather  V  been  first 
after  Mis'  Tubbs  than  first  after  Sally 
Plunkett."  And  she  should  take  her  chil- 
dren out  of  the  procession  and  go  home 
cross  lots.  Hearing  which,  Mrs.  Tubbs 
turned  her  head  enough  to  say,  "  Don't  be 
a  fool,  Nancy !  " 

This  old-time  counsel  struck  so  familiarly 
upon  the  unwonted  excitement  that  Mrs. 
Panks  swallowed  her  desperate  resolve,  and 
arrived  at  the  bride's  home  quite  cooled  off. 
Her  spirits  were  further  upborne  by  the 
invitation  from  Mrs.  Tubbs  to  preside  over 
the  lemonade  pail. 

It  had  been  thought  best,  considering  the 
limitations  of  the  cottage,  to  have  the  re- 
freshments outside.  The  clotheslines,  the 
usual  and  absorbing  features  of  Sally's  yard, 
had  been  taken  down;  and  the  tubs  were 


38  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

utilised  by  turning  them  upside  down  on  the 
bench  beside  the  door,  to  lay  a  long  board 
across  them.  On  this  were  set  the  pail  of 
lemonade,  and  a  motley  array  of  cups  and 
glasses  borrowed  from  all  the  houses  not  ex- 
empt by  distance.  To  collect  them,  Johnny 
Panks  had  been  hired  by  promises  of  a  large 
number  of  pieces  of  wedding  cake  and  a 
corresponding  number  of  glasses  of  lemon- 
ade ;  and  he  did  the  job  by  means  of  Sally's 
cart,  in  which  the  washing  for  the  inn 
boarders  was  collected  and  returned.  Mrs. 
Barlow  served  the  cake  from  Sally's  ironing 
table  brought  out  from  the  kitchen. 

The  stream  of  callers  passing  into  the 
parlour  to  salute  the  bride  and  groom  under 
the  marriage  bell  were  carefully  instructed 
by  Sally  to  march  around  the  centre-table 
and  see  the  presents.  The  real  silver 
spoons  were  set  upon  its  polished  surface, 
like  the  spokes  of  a  wheel ;  the  illustrated 
"  Pilgrim's  Progress  "  in  the  middle. 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  39 

"  I  never  see  any  thin'  so  nice,"  said  Mrs. 
Tubbs,  beaming  on  them  all ;  "  there  ain't 
nothin'  more  on  earth  f er  me  to  wish  f  er ;  — 
Mr.  Tubbs,  you  must  give  folks  your  right 
hand  to  shake." 

A  murmur  went  around  that  the  parson 
was  coming.  With  great  dignity  he  and 
Mrs.  Elwood  in  her  well-preserved  black 
silk  gown  advanced  from  the  road  into 
the  Plunkett  yard.  Just  at  this  juncture, 
Mrs.  Panks,  much  elated  that  the  parson  and 
his  wife  should  see  her  social  prominence 
behind  the  lemonade  table,  forgot  to  issue 
those  incessant  commands  to  her  offspring 
to  "  keep  away,  or  I'll  spank  you  when  I 
git  you  to  home ! "  She  turned  to  effu- 
sively greet  the  distinguished  visitors, — 
Johnny  Panks  seized  the  supreme  moment 
and  lunged  at  the  pail  to  help  himself, — 
one  of  the  small  brothers  having  been 
promised  the  first  cupful  when  it  should  be 
time  for  the  Panks  household  to  be  served, 


40  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

threw  himself  with  righteous  indignation 
upon  the  interloper  —  over  went  the  pail, 
and  although  Mrs.  El  wood  received  some 
of  the  lemonade,  it  afforded  her  no  pleas- 
ure, for  the  most  of  it  fell  upon  her  best 
and  only  silk  gown. 

The  confusion  of  this  episode  reached 
Sally's  ears  under  the  "merriage  bell." 

"No  use  to  cry  fer  spilt  lem'nade  no 
more'n  if  'twas  spilt  milk,"  she  observed, 
"  an'  it's  healthier  to  drink  water,  I  really 
s'pose.  Thank  the  Lord,  th'  well  can't  be 
tipped  over.  How  d'ye  do,  Mis'  Jones  ? 
This  is  my  husband,  Mr.  Tubbs." 

The  day  after  the  wedding  made  a  good 
second  show  in  the  eyes  of  the  entire  vil- 
lage. The  little  church  was  crowded  to 
see  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Abijah  Tubbs  come  up 
the  middle  aisle  in  full  bridal  array. 

"  Ye  see  that's  another  reason,"  Sally 
had  said  over  the  fence  to  the  widow 
Panks,  "why  I'm  goin'  to  have  th'  jus- 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  41 

tice  merry  us  'nstid  o'  th'  parson.  We'll 
have  two  percessions." 

Parson  Elwood  for  once  looked  down 
into  a  sea  of  faces.  He  rejoiced  that  he 
had  pulled  out  one  of  the  early  sermons  in 
his  barrel,  on  the  doctrine  of  election,  and 
he  delivered  it  with  much  unction  as  one 
of  his  best. 

The  deacons  whispered  excitedly,  "  There 
ain't  enough  contribution  boxes  —  some  of 
us  must  take  hats  round." 

So  Sally  Plunkett's  matrimonial  venture 
worked  well  for  the  entire  parish. 


TWO 


k  AIN'T  no  use,"  said  Mrs.  Tubbs, 
shaking  out  a  dainty  muslin 
waist  for  one  of  the  young 
ladies  at  the  inn, "  to  stop  my 
daily  avocations  so  far 's  I  know,  just  because 
I  got  merried."  She  uttered  this  with  the 
greatest  nonchalance,  and  seemed  to  find 
difficulty  in  affixing  the  article  in  question 
to  the  clothesline.  The  wooden  pin  needed 
to  be  thrust  over  each  sleeve,  pulled  out, 
and  set  in  position  again,  before  Sally,  usu- 
ally so  deft-fingered,  could  be  satisfied. 
Meanwhile  the  new  wedding  ring  was 
making  a  brave  display,  the  bride's  little 
finger  quirking  handsomely  in  the  air. 
"  No,  's  I  said  before," —  at  last  the  opera- 

42 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  43 

tion  was  considered  finished;  and  Mrs.  Tubbs 
brought  her  gaze  to  her  visitor's  face,  —  "  be- 
cause I'm  a  merried  woman  there  ain't  no 
call 's  fur  's  I  see  fer  me  to  turn  my  back 
on  my  dooties ;  so  if  you  know  of  any  more 
ladies  up  to  th'  Aotel,  Mis'  Femwyck" 
(Mrs.  Tubbs  always  pronounced  the  sum- 
mer boarder's  name  as  if  it  were  one  word, 
with  the  accent  strongly  on  the  first  syl- 
lable), "  who  want  washin'  done,  why  Mis' 
Tubbs'll  do  it  as  well  as  Sally  Plunkett  ever 
did." 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  sweet 
unction  with  which  Sally  lingered  over  her 
new  name. 

"  I  will  try,  Mrs.  Tubbs,"  said  Mrs.  Van 
"VYyck,  "to  get  you  some  more  custom.  I 
am  sure  everybody  considers  our  gowns  and 
waists  to  be  perfectly  laundered." 

"  Mamma,  I  do  believe  Mrs.  Harmer  will 
want  Mrs.  Tubbs  to  do  her  baby's  gowns," 
cried  Violet  Van  Wyck,  in  a  pretty  enthu- 


44  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

siasm.  "I'm  going  to  ask  her  when  we 
get  back  to  luncheon." 

"  Much  obleeged,"  said  Mrs.  Tubbs,  pick- 
ing up  her  clothes-basket.  "Now  come  in 
an'  set  down,  ladies,  an'  I'll  show  you  how 
handsome  th'  flowers  has  kep',"  leading  the 
way  to  the  cabin  door. 

"Really?"  cried  Violet.  "  Oh,  Mrs. 
Tubbs,  have  they  lasted  till  now  ? " 

"If  we  do  not  hinder  your  work,  Mrs. 
Tubbs,"  suggested  Mrs.  Van  "Wyck. 

"  Land  !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Tubbs,  hauling 
along  the  basket  with  her  left  hand,  "  I 
ain't  one  to  let  work  git  such  a  whip 
hand  as  to  drive  off  good  friends  'a  you 
be,  I  guess.  My  wash  is  all  out,"  and  she 
pointed  to  the  long,  snow-white  lines  sway- 
ing in  the  summer  breeze. 

"  And  how  beautiful  it  all  looks !  "  ex- 
claimed Mrs.  Van  Wyck.  "  I  should  think 
you'd  be  very  proud,  Mrs.  Tubbs,  to  achieve 
such  fine  work." 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  45 

"  No,  I  ain't  proud.  It  don't  become  us 
sinful  mortals  to  harbour  no  pride,"  said 
Mrs.  Tubbs,  with  a  very  elate  countenance, 
and  the  left  hand  quite  busy  in  pushing 
back  a  stray  lock  from  her  heated  forehead, 
"  an'  I  hain't  done  no  more'n  my  dooty  by 
them  clothes,  when  all's  said  an'  done," 
waving  the  same  set  of  toil-worn  fingers ; 
"but  clothes  is  like  folks  —  you  treat  'em 
well,  an'  they'll  treat  you  well ;  an'  so  they 
up  and  looks  their  best,  an'  folks  goin'  by 
says, '  There  now/  Sally  Plun —  Mrs.  Tubbs 
had  them  in  her  washtub,  I  know.'  " 

She  slapped  the  basket  down  on  the 
wooden  bench  just  beside  the  door,  by  the 
tubs  over  which  the  early  morning  hours 
had  been  passed,  waved  her  visitors  within, 
wiped  off  two  chairs  with  the  cloth  in  her 
left  hand,  and  then  rested  her  palms  on  her 
hips,  her  favourite  attitude  in  conversation. 

"  As  I  was  a-sayin',  clothes  is  like  folks, 
an'  sometimes  when  I'm  washin'  'em  or 


46  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

hangin'  'em  out,  I  fall  to  talkin'  to  'em. 
There's  one  good  thing  —  they  can't  talk 
back.  Why,  I  washed  up  Parson  El  wood's 
shirts  all  last  winter.  Old  Betsy  got  sick 
with  the  rheumatiz,  an'  so  Mis'  Elwood 
brought  'em  to  me.  An'  didn't  I  gin  it  to 
them  shirts  good,  though !  I  tell  you,  I 
just  mentioned  my  views  on  several  p'ints 
o'  doctrine  old  Dr.  Elwood  had  been  a- 
drivin'  us  hard  on  from  th'  pulpit.  An'  I 
gin  it  back  to  him  through  his  clothes.  I 
tell  you,  it  tickled  me  to  set  an'  look  at 
them  shinin'  buzzoms  Sundays.  An'  he 
must  'a'  got  some  good  from  'em  bein'  so 
near  his  skin,  fer  I  ironed  it  all  in  hard." 

"  I  suppose  you  talked  over  some  of  those 
subjects  with  the  parson  himself,"  said  Mrs. 
Van  Wyck,  with  her  well-bred  little  smile. 
Miss  Violet  played  with  the  fringe  of  her 
parasol  in  her  lap. 

"  La,  yes,  whenever  I  got  a  chanst,"  de- 
clared Mrs.  Tubbs ;  "  but  there,  how  often 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  47 

did  that  come  ?  Onct  in  six  months  or  so 
Parson  El  wood  would  heave  along  on  a  pas- 
toral call ;  but  I  had  hard  work  to  git  in 
my  say-so.  I  tell  you,  Mis'  F<mwyck,  min- 
isters don't  mean  to  give  folks  a  chanst  to 
talk  back.  It  makes  'em  nervous  an'  quig- 
gly-like  if  folks  don't  take  th'  law  as  it's 
picked  out  fer  'em  by  th'  pulpit.  Why, 
there  was  old  Parson  Stebbins,  th'  one  who 
preached  fer  us  just  before  we  settled  Mr. 
Elwood.  He'd  pound  an'  slam  that  Bible 
an'  turn  as  red  as  a  turkey  cock  in  th'  face, 
when  he  was  a-givin'  it  to  us,  an'  a-pro- 
poundin'  th'  Scripters.  He  looked  jest  as 
bad  as  Jed  Simmons,  who  got  drunk  every 
week  and  swore  like  all  possessed.  An', 
my  land !  if  anybody'd  had  th'  gall  to 
argify  with  Parson  Stebbins  outside  th' 
pulpit  —  well  there !  there  warn't  no  one 
could  git  a  word  in  edgewise.  Parson  could 
talk  like  a  streak  o'  lightnin',  an'  fire  off 
texts  an'  Bible  lingo  till  you  wouldn't  know 


48  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

whether  your  head  was  on  your  shoulders, 
or  whether  'twas  a  cabbage  head  under  your 
arm.  Oh,  I'm  fond  o'  parsons ;  but  they've 
got  their  weak  streaks,  same  's  other  folks. 
I  s'pose  you  think  it's  cur'ous,  now,  that  I 
didn't  have  Parson  Elwood  marry  me  an 
'Bijah.  Well,  now,  th'  fact  is"— Mrs.  Tubbs 
drew  away  her  hands  from  her  hips,  to  fold 
them,  the  left  one  uppermost,  in  the  front 
of  her  waist  line  —  "I  always  meant  to  be 
merried  at  Justice  Spender's  when  th'  time 
come,  so  's  I  could  git  a  husband;  fer,  says  I, 
it'll  be  a  change  from  th'  everlastin'  church 
weddin's;  it's  jest  as  bindin',  an'  th'  walk 
down  there  is  longer,  so  th'  percessipn'll 
show  off  real  pretty  to  my  house;  an'  th' 
Justice  needs  th'  fee  more'n  th'  Parson,  an' 
we'll  have  th'  percession  up  th'  church 
aisle  next  day.  So,  bein'  as  'twas  better 
all  round,  I'd  decided  it  long  ago.  Well, 
you  must  come  into  th'  parlour  an'  see  how 
well  th'  flowers  has  kep'." 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  49 

She  swung  open,  with  her  left  hand,  the 
door  to  her  best  room,  with  great  pride. 
Both  of  the  windows  were  closed,  and  the 
air  from  the  "  merriage  bell  "  of  daisies  and 
ferns,  the  great  pots  of  woodsy  things  in  the 
corners  of  the  room,  and  the  garlands  with- 
ering around  the  crayon  portraits,  achieved 
by  a  travelling  artist,  of  the  father  and 
mother  of  Mrs.  Tubbs,  was  stifling.  Mrs. 
Van  Wyck  made  an  involuntary  effort  to 
escape,  which  Miss  Violet  covered  up  by 
hurrying  in,  exclaiming,  "  Well,  you  have 
treasured  them ! " 

"  Ain't  they  beautiful !  "  cried  Mrs.  Tubbs, 
her  pale  green  eyes  glistening  with  pride. 
"Th'  windows  is  shut  tight,  an'  mebbe  I 
can  keep  'em  till  Mis'  Panks's  brother  comes 
next  week  ;  he's  got  one  o'  them  little  boxes 
folks  take  around  to  get  picter's  in,  an'  he's 
goin'  to  take  'Bijah  an'  me  under  th'  mer- 
riage bell."  She  threw  an  anxious  glance 
toward  it. 


50  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Tubbs,  I've  a  kodak.  I'll  take 
your  picture,"  cried  Violet. 

"Will  you?"  shrilled  Mrs.  Tubbs. 
"  Well,  now,  I  said  I'd  git  that  picter,  an' 
now,  you  see,  it's  goin'  to  be  took.  S'pose 
I'd  gin  up  'Bijah  when  folks  said  he 
wouldn't  never  git  merried.  I  kep'  on 
an'  finally  he  gin  in,  an'  so  here  I  be  Mrs. 
Tubbs.  When'll  you  take  it  ?  "  She  whirled 
around  to  Miss  Van  Wyck. 

"Whenever  you  say.  I  can  go  and  get 
my  kodak  now.  Will  Mr.  Tubbs  be  ready?" 
looking  back  as  she  started  for  the  door. 

"My  soul  an'  body,  he  ain't  to  home. 
He's  gone  to  git  th'  mail  fer  th'  hotel,  an' 
besides  he's  got  to  git  his  Sunday  clothes 
on,  an'  there's  my  weddin'  gown  an'  bunnit 
an'  veil  to  settle.  Now  could  you  come  this 
aft'noon?"  she  asked  anxiously. 

"Oh,  yes,"  smiled  Miss  Violet,  "I'll  be 
over  after  luncheon,  Mrs.  Tubbs." 

Gerald  Fair-brother  came  with  her,  carry- 


SALLY,   MKS.   TUBES  51 

ing  her  kodak.  He  had  been  pledged  to 
secrecy  before  Violet  would  allow  him  to 
even  think  of  going. 

"  I  haven't  lisped  a  word.  None  of  the 
girls  nor  men  dream  of  it.  And  think  of 
our  treat!  though  nothing  on  the  boards 
could  equal  that  wedding  reception  under 
the  *  merriage  bell.'  "  He  caught  his  breath 
at  the  recollection,  then  gave  way  helplessly. 

"  I  won't  have  my  nice  Mrs.  Tubbs  made 
fun  of,"  declared  Violet.  "  You  may  turn 
back,  Mr.  Fairbrother  "  —  she  stopped  short 
just  beyond  the  hemlocks  —  "if  you  are 
going  to  laugh  at  her." 

"  Oh,  I  won't,  I  assure  you,"  he  choked 
to  recover  himself ;  "  see  how  solemn  I  can 
be." 

"  I've  been  fond  of  Sally  ever  since  I  was 
a  little  girl,"  Miss  Van  Wyck  kept  on. 
"Just  think,  we've  been  coming  to  Hills- 
boro  every  summer  for  years  and  years. 
And  the  hours  I've  spent  in  her  dear  little 


62  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

cottage  I  couldn't  count.  And  she's  just 
the  best  creature  to  anybody  in  trouble. 
Why,  she  took  all  the  care  of  little  Susan 
Panks  last  winter  when  she  had  the  scarlet 
fever,  to  help  her  mother,  for  Johnny  was 
sick,  too.  He's  a  very  dreadful  boy  to 
manage.  I  ought  to  know,  for  he's  in  my 
Sunday-school  class  every  summer." 

"I  wish  I  had  Johnny's  Sunday  oppor- 
tunities," remarked  Mr.  Fairbrother. 

"  And  she  just  hates  children,"  went  on 
Violet,  ignoring  the  last  remark,  and  prod- 
ding the  point  of  her  parasol  into  the  sand ; 
"  but  Mrs.  Panks  was  discouraged,  and  all 
worn  out.  And  Mrs.  Tubbs  is  the  one  who 
gave  Jed  Simmons,  a  poor  drunken  fellow 
that  the  town  was  going  to  put  into  a  va- 
grant's institution,  some  money  to  go  away 
and  make  a  fresh  start  somewhere.  And 
just  think  how  she  slaves  to  earn  every 
penny." 

"  Miss  Violet,  on  my  honour  as  a  gentle- 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  53 

man,  I'll  adore  your  Mrs.  Tubbs.  She's  an 
angel;  she's  an  archangel.  I'll  sing  her 
praises  to  right  and  to  left." 

"But  you  mustn't,"  cried  Violet,  much 
alarmed.  "That  would  make  Mrs.  Tubbs 
very  angry.  And  then  she  wouldn't  let 
me  go  to  see  her." 

"If  you  were  denied  entrance  at  the 
Tubbs  residence,  what  a  monstrous  sacri- 
fice ! "  exclaimed  the  gentleman. 

"  Well,  it  would  be,  I  can  tell  you,"  de- 
clared Miss  Van  Wyck  with  spirit.  "  I 
have  a  nicer  time  with  her  than  with  our 
set  at  the  inn.  You'd  much  better  turn 
back,  Mr.  Fairbrother."  She  took  the 
kodak  from  him  before  he  realised  it,  and 
set  off  at  a  brisk  pace,  her  white  parasol 
cutting  the  tips  of  the  grasses  as  it  swung 
from  impatient  fingers. 

Gerald  Fairbrother  gained  her  side.  It 
was  a  face  as  wholly  different  from  his  smil- 
ing one  as  could  be  imagined  that  now  turned 


54  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

on  her.  To  work  up  a  sympathy  with  her 
whims  was  to  win  her. 

"Miss  Van  Wyck,  allow  me."  He  took 
the  kodak  from  her  hand.  "You  will  not 
have  cause  to  complain  of  me  again,"  he 
said,  falling  into  step. 

But  it  was  an  awful  strain  on  even  Vio- 
let when  they  reached  the  Tubbs  cottage. 

"Come  in,"  called  the  bride  from  the 
parlour.  There  she  sat  in  wedding  array, 
the  long  cotton  v.eil  trailing  off  back  of 
her  chair;  Mr.  Tubbs  drawn  into  the 
furthest  corner. 

"  We've  been  a-practisin',  me  an'  my  hus- 
band," she  announced,  "an'  we're  restin'. 
My !  but  I'd  druther  do  a  day's  wash.  But 
we're  ready  now,  if  th'  machine  is.  Come, 
'Bijah,"  and  she  got  out  of  her  chair. 

"How  do  you  do,  Mrs.  Tubbs?"  inquired 
Violet's  escort,  with  his  best  manner. 

"  How  do  you  do,  young  man  ?  You  was 
here  to  th'  reception,  wasn't  you  ?  "  Then 


SALLY,   MKS.   TUBES  55 

not  waiting  for  him  to  reply,  she  called, 
"  'Bijah,  we  mus'n't  keep  Miss  Vi'let  wait- 
ing ;  she's  ready  to  take  th'  picter." 

To  Mr.  Tubbs  the  coming  ordeal  pre- 
sented terrors  second  only  to  what  he  had 
suffered  on  his  wedding  day,  and  his  pale 
eyes  of  no  particular  colour  roved  wildly  in 
search  of  escape.  He  still  sat  in  his  corner. 

"You  will  enjoy  the  photograph  very 
much,  Mr.  Tubbs,"  said  the  young  man, 
reassuringly,  and  going  over  to  his  chair; 
"Miss  Van  Wyck  always  has  such  great 
success." 

"  I'm  goin'  to  have  it  framed,"  announced 
Mrs.  Tubbs ;  "  see  —  "  and  she  stalked  over 
to  her  "  whatnot "  in  the  opposite  corner. 
"  Now  I've  had  these  shells  all  my  life,  an' 
didn't  know  what  blessed  thing  I  could  do 
with  'em." 

She  thrust  her  left  hand  into  a  big  blue 
china  bowl,  and  brought  it  forth,  running 
over  with  the  mixed  shells  children  pick  up 


56  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

at  the  seashore.  "I'm  goin'  to  make  a 
frame  of  'em,  an'  I'll  git  some  pine  cones 
to  put  along  with  'em.  But  my  sakes 
alive  ! "  —  she  thrust  the  handful  back  into 
place,  a  small  stream  falling  to  the  floor; 
Mr.  Fairbrother  hurried  over  and  dodged 
among  the  ancient  chairs  to  recover  them 
—  "  here  I  stand  a-talkin'  about  the  frame, 
an'  th'  picter  ain't  even  took.  'Bijah ! " 

But  Mr.  Tubbs,  seeing  temporary  relief 
from  the  main  subject,  in  that  the  group 
were  engrossed  around  the  whatnot,  had 
oozed  out  of  the  doorway,  and  now  stood 
behind  the  big  "lay locks"  at  the  back  of 
the  cottage,  mopping  his  face  with  his  ban- 
danna, and  saying,  "  Oh  Lord ! " 

"'Bi/aA/"  Mrs.  Tubbs's  voice  could  be 
heard  coming  nearer,  and  his  thin  knees 
knocked  together.  His  teeth  would  have 
chattered  had  the  few  in  his  possession 
been  placed  advantageously.  He  ducked 
till  it  took  a  keen  eye  to  perceive  his 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  57 

spare  frame.  But  Mrs.  Tubbs  had  just 
that  eye. 

"  Oh,  dear !  to  think  that  my  husband 
sh'd  carry  on  so  an'  insult  Miss  Vi'let," 
she  exclaimed,  plunging  up  to  the  bush 
and  hauling  aside  the  branches,  "an'  she 
a-comin'  clear  from  th'  Aotel  with  her 
machine ! " 

"A  great  many  people  dislike  to  have 
their  photographs  taken,  Mrs.  Tubbs." 
Mr.  Fairbrother  deftly  extricated  the  lace 
veil  from  a  "laylock"  branch. 

She  turned  on  him  a  countenance  more 
of  sorrow  than  of  anger,  but  'Bijah  lifted 
a  grateful  eye. 

"I  never  did  hear  th'  like,"  said  Mrs. 
Tubbs.  "  I'm  more  shamed  than  I  can  tell 
at  my  husband  havin'  such  tantrums." 

Mr.  Tubbs  found  himself  following  his 
spouse,  the  young  man  in  the  rear,  and 
presently  he  was  standing,  the  picture  of 
misery,  in  the  centre  of  the  circle  over 


68  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

which  hung  the  drooping  remains  of  the 
"merriage  bell." 

"  'T would  look  more  affectionate  if  we 
was  to  take  hold  of  hands,  don't  you  think 
now,  Miss  Vi'let?"  asked  the  bride,  anx- 
iously. 

Miss  Van  Wyck  and  her  escort  being 
busy  over  the  kodak,  the  bride  assumed  the 
question  already  answered  as  she  wished, 
by  possessing  herself  of  Mr.  Tubbs's  nervous 
little  fingers  with  her  left  hand,  her  wedding 
ring  uppermost. 

"There  now,  we're  ready.  But  my 
sakes !  'Bijah,"  she  darted  a  swift  glance 
down  at  him,  "you  can't  look  like  that. 
Mercy  me  !  smile  now,  real  pleasant.  Wait, 
Miss  Vi'let,  don't  take  us  yet,"  she  begged 
in  an  agony ;  "  he  looks  just  awful ! " 

"I'll  wait,"  promised  Miss  Violet.  Mr. 
Fairbrother  turned  away  to  gaze  out  of  the 
window. 

"You  can't  never  look  like  that,  'Bijah," 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  59 

said  his  wife.  "  How'd  you  feel  to  hang  on 
th'  wall  in  th'  el'gant  frame  I'm  go  in'  to 
make,  with  such  a  countenance,  an'  have 
folks  remark  on  it  ?  A  picter's  took  fer  all 
time  when  it's  once  took,  you  must  remem- 
ber, an'  you  can't  change  it,  hide  nor  hair, 
an'  it  ain't  fair  to  me,  when  I  want  to  point 
to  my  husband  an'  say,  { There's  Mr. 
Tubbs.'" 

She  looked  so  distressed  that  Miss  Van 
Wyck  hastened  to  her  aid. 

"Really,  Mr.  Tubbs,  you'll  be  very  glad 
of  this  picture  when  it  is  finished;  don't 
feel  troubled  about  it."  She  smiled,  and 
her  young  eyes  bent  kindly  on  him. 

Mrs.  Tubbs  saw  some  improvement,  but 
it  wasn't  speedy  enough  to  satisfy  her.  "  I 
know  what  I'll  do."  She  plunged  off 
through  the  doorway,  her  long  veil  swish- 
ing after.  "There,"  coming  back  with  a 
plate  of  doughnuts  and  wedding  cake, 
"  men  are  just  like  children  —  feed  'em  an' 


60  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

they'll  be  pleasant  as  a  basket  o'  chips. 
Now  then,  'Bijah,  you  set  down  this  minute 
an'  go  to  eatin',"  and  she  thrust  it  at  him. 
But  Mr.  Tubbs  was  beyond  eating  this  time. 

"Will  you  give  me  a  doughnut,  Mrs. 
Tubbs  ?  "  begged  Violet,  "  I  know  how  de- 
licious they  are." 

"Bless  your  heart,  I'll  give  you  what- 
ever this  house  contains,"  cried  Mrs.  Tubbs, 
warmly.  "An'  Mr. — what's  your  name? — 
I  declare  I've  ben  so  tried  I've  clean  fergot 
it,  though  you  was  to  th'  reception,  an' 
you're  a  partic'ler  friend  of  Miss  Vi'let's 
—  "  Miss  Van  Wyck's  pretty  cheek  glowed 
suddenly. 

The  young  gentleman  cried  quickly,  "  I 
hope  I  may  have  one  also." 

"  Land,  yes  !  I'll  git  a  plateful."  Again 
Mrs.  Tubbs  disappeared  and  shot  back  with 
the  delicacies. 

"  Now  says  I,  we'll  all  take  a  bite." 

"Oh,  I  don't  want  anything  but  one  of 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  61 

your  doughnuts,  Mrs.  Tubbs,"  exclaimed 
Violet  in  dismay,  at  sight  of  the  precious 
wedding  cake  on  top. 

"  There's  nothin'  too  good  fer  you,  Miss 
Vi'let,"  declared  Mrs.  Tubbs,  vehemently. 
"Th'  doughnuts  is  underneath." 

"  The  doughnuts  are  better  than  all  the 
cake  in  the  world,"  cried  Violet,  taking  a 
sugary  one.  Mr.  Fairbrother  followed  suit, 
and  Mrs.  Tubbs  selecting  a  piece  of  wedding 
cake,  they  all  turned  their  backs  on  Mr. 
Tubbs  to  give  him  composure  of  mind. 

"  There's  more'n  one  way  to  kill  a  cat," 
observed  Mrs.  Tubbs,  the  only  remark  she 
made  during  this  episode,  being  lost  in 
thought  while  slowly  munching  her  festal 
delicacy,  careful  to  corral  the  crumbs  in 
her  lap. 

"When  the  time  appeared  propitious  for 
another  attempt,  Mr.  Tubbs  was  found 
with  an  empty  plate  and  a  more  resigned 
countenance.  And  he  stood  like  a  statue 


62  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

long  after  the  operation  was  over,  with  the 
same  frozen  expression  on  his  face. 

"  'Bijah,  you  looked  beautiful  this  time," 
exclaimed  Mrs.  Tubbs  in  a  transport ;  "  but, 
la !  there  ain't  no  need  to  stare  no  more.  It's 
took ;  an'  now  you  can  shet  your  eyes  some. 
An'  if  ever  a  mortal's  glad,  I  be."  She 
sank  into  a  chair,  raising  the  precious  veil 
carefully.  "  It  don't  really  seem  's  though 
I  had  much  to  live  fer  now,  bein'  so  near 
Peradise.  I'm  a  merried  woman,  an'  I've 
had  my  picter  took  with  my  husband,  Mr. 
Tubbs." 

"  I  declare,  I  ain't  half  grateful  enough  to 
Providence,"  —  she  couldn't  stop  herself,  — 
"nor  to  all  you  folks  at  th'  7iotel.  Ain't 
I  rich,  though!  Real  silver  spoons,  an' 
Bunyan's  '  Pilgrim's  Progress  '  full  o'  pic- 
ters  on  my  centre-table !  'Bijah,  I'm  goin' 
to  let  you  look  at  'em  Sunday  afternoons 
if  you  wash  your  hands  first." 


THKEE 


RS.  TUBES   stalked  up  to  the 
little  office  at  the  inn. 

"Mr.  Barlow,  I'll  kerry  th' 
mail  bag  to-day.  My  husband, 
Mr.  Tubbs,  ain't  well,  an'  I  won't  let  him  go 
out." 

"Is  Mr.  Tubbs  sick?"  asked  the  land- 
lord in  surprise,  for  'Bijah,  though  small, 
was  tough  and  wiry.  "  Goodness  me !  I 
sh'd  as  soon  thought  of  that  tree  out  there 
complainin',"  pointing  to  a  weather-beaten 
locust  beside  the  door. 

"  Well,  he  ain't  smart  an'  well,"  responded 

Sally,  shortly,  "an'  I  ain't  goin'  to   have 

him  real  down  sick.     So  gimme  th'  bag." 

"What's  th'  matter  with  'Bijah?"  asked 

Mr.  Barlow,  snapping  to  the  padlock. 

63 


64  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

"  Rheumatics,"  said  Mrs.  Tubbs,  concisely. 
"There,  gimme  th'  bag;  I  hain't  no  time 
to  talk."  She  reached  her  long  left  arm 
over  the  counter. 

"  You  can't  carry  it,"  said  the  innkeeper, 
holding  on  to  it.  "  Why,  you're  a  woman." 

"I  ain't  a-denyin'  that.  But  if  'Bijah 
Tubbs  could  lug  that  bag  down  to  th'  post 
office  day  in  an'  day  out,  I  guess  I  can  man- 
age it  now  an'  then,"  laying  a  strong  hand 
on  it. 

"  Well,  go  along,  Sally,"  said  Mr.  Barlow, 
relinquishing  it,  for  the  employment  of  all 
his  wits  could  not  suggest  an  honest  sub- 
stitute for  'Bijah  among  the  idle  boys  and 
men  of  the  village.  "  I  hope  'Bijah's  goin' 
to  be  all  right  to-morrow." 

"Mebbe  he  will,  an'  mebbe  he  won't, 
but  I  shan't  let  him  out  till  his  rheumatics 
is  gone."  Sally  grasped  the  bag  and 
tramped  off.  She  had  already,  at  early 
dawn,  been  down  to  the  inn,  gathered  up 


SALLY,   MBS.   TUBES  65 

the  soiled  clothes  left  out  for  her  by  her 
favoured  families,  and  drawn  them  to  the 
cottage  in  her  little  cart,  sprung  at  her 
washing,  and  left  everything  spotlessly 
white  swinging  on  the  long  lines. 

The  next  day  she  appeared  just  to  the 
minute  at  the  inn. 

"  Gimme  th'  bag,"  she  said. 

"  How's  'Bijah  ? "  asked  Mr.  Barlow. 

"Just  th*  same.  I  didn't  come  to  talk. 
Gimme  th'  bag." 

And  the  next,  and  the  next,  for  a  week, 
this  performance  was  repeated.  At  last  the 
boarders  were  aroused  at  seeing  the  woman 
who  was  doing  the  fine  washing  for  so 
many  families  turned  into  a  mail-carrier  in 
addition. 

"By  George!  this  is  outrageous."  Mr. 
Van  Wyck  came  in  from  the  veranda. 
"  Barlow,  you  ought  not  to  allow  that." 

The  innkeeper  looked  up.  "She  will 
take  it.  And  upon  my  soul,  Mr.  Van  Wyck, 


66  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

I  wouldn't  dare  to  trust  that  bag  to  no  one 
but  Sally." 

"  Does  any  one  know  about  that  husband 
of  hers,  whether  he's  sick  or  not  ?  " 

"I  wouldn't  want  to  go  and  inquire,  if 
Sally  said  he  was."  Mr.  Barlow  gave  a 
short  laugh. 

"Well,  I  shall." 

The  landlord  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

Mr.  Van  Wyck,  taking  no  one  else  into 
his  confidence,  decided  to  pay  his  call  while 
Mrs.  Tubbs  had  gone  to  the  post  office.  So, 
strolling  off,  he  reached  the  cottage  after 
what  he  called  to  himself  "  a  deucedly  hot 
tramp." 

"  To  think  of  that  woman  dragging  that 
cartful  down  here  and  back,  all  the  while  !  " 

Reaching  the  cottage,  he  observed  no 
preliminaries,  but  walked  in.  There  sat 
Mr.  Tubbs,  his  back  toward  him,  before  the 
kitchen  table ;  his  little  bald  head  was  bent 
over  a  big  plate,  while  his  hands  were 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  '67 

plying  busily  the  necessary  implements  to 
convey  food  to  his  mouth. 

He  thought  it  was  Mrs.  Tubbs  coming 
in,  so  did  not  turn  around.  "  I  want  some 
more  coffee." 

Receiving  no  reply,  the  little  man  skipped 
out  of  his  chair,  carrying  his  cup,  took  sev- 
eral lively  steps,  and  came  face  to  face 
with  one  of  the  inn  boarders. 

"  I  came  to  see  how  you  were ;  I  heard 
you  were  sick,"  said  Mr.  Van  Wyck. 

"So  I  be  — so  I  be,"  said  Mr.  Tubbs,  his 
thin  face  going  through  a  number  of  con- 
tortions and  the  cup  shaking  in  his  hand; 
"  I've  —  I've  got  rheumatics  dretful." 

He  limped  back  to  his  chair  and  sank  in 
its  depths,  mumbling  to  himself  what  his 
caller  could  not  hear. 

"  I've  always  considered  it  bad  to  eat 
much  when  troubled  with  rheumatism." 
The  gentleman  gave  a  searching  glance  at 
the  contents  of  the  plate. 


68  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

"  Only  a  little  bite,  my  appetite's  so  poor," 
said  'Bijah. 

"Hem  —  your  wife  has  been  carrying 
the  mail  bag  back  and  forth  for  a  week," 
Mr.  Van  Wyck  went  on,  letting  his  glance 
wander  without  to  the  long  clotheslines 
where  the  everlasting  washing  was  swaying, 
for  Sally's  yard  never  seemed  to  be  quite 
clear  of  it. 

"  She  would  go,"  cried  'Bijah,  fretfully,  and 
squirming  in  his  chair.  "  I  ain't  to  blame  — 
she  makes  me  do  every  thin'  as  she  says." 

"Even  to  eating,  I  presume,"  observed 
Mr.  Van  Wyck,  dryly.  "Hem  — well,  I 
thought  I'd  call,  for  I  was  afraid  you  were 
very  sick,  Mr.  Tubbs.  No,  don't  get  up,  it 
will  increase  your  pain,  I  am  afraid."  And 
he  went  off  laughing. 

Mr.  Tubbs  never  told  of  the  call,  and  the 
next  day  he  seemed  so  bright  and  well,  that 
Sally  allowed  him  to  do  as  he  announced 
the  first  thing  in  the  morning. 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  69 

"  I'm  goin'  to  kerry  th'  mail  bag  to-day." 

"Poor  man,"  she  said,  watching  him  off, 
"  he's  had  a  hard  time  on't,  an'  I  guess  he 
wants  to  git  out  now  among  folks." 

The  widow  Panks  was  also  watching  pro- 
ceedings from  her  doorway. 

"I  never  see  such  a  change  in  'Bijah 
Tubbs  —  she's  a-spilin'  him.  Lord !  she 
reelly  seems  to  set  store  by  him,  Sally  doos. 
Well,  I  am  clear  beat ! " 

And  it  soon  became  clear  to  every  one 
who  watched  Mrs.  Tubbs's  married  life  that 
she  was  immensely  fond  of  her  husband, 
and  cherished  his  precious  inches  with  the 
most  wifely  devotion. 

She  washed  his  little  bald  head  every 
Saturday  night  till  it  shone  like  a  polished, 
new  croquet  ball,  and  she  kept  his  clothes 
clean  and  mended,  adding  to  their  store 
whenever  his  insinuations  in  that  line  were 
heard.  'Bijah  bore  everything  that  inter- 
fered with  his  old-time  freedom,  with  out- 


70  SALLY,   MRS.    TUBES 

ward  resignation,  braced  up  by  thoughts  of 
the  good  dinners  he  had  eaten,  and  was  ever- 
more to  eat  now  that  he  was  her  husband. 

"  Drat  her !  I  wish  she  would  let  my  head 
alone,"  he  exclaimed  to  himself  at  last,  after 
the  weekly  cleaning,  and  plunged  without 
the  cottage. 

"Come  back,"  Sally  screamed,  "you'll 
catch  your  death  o'  cold.  Don't  you  know 
no  better'n  to  run  out  after  your  head's 
ben  washed  ?  "  And  back  he  went.  Then 
she  made  a  big  bowl  of  boneset  tea,  and 
made  him  drink  it. 

"  There,  now,"  she  said  with  great  satis- 
faction, "that'll  meet  th'  chill,"  turning 
the  bowl  upside  down,  to  be  sure  that 
not  a  drop  remained.  Which  example 
Mr.  Tubbs  presently  followed  with  him- 
self. 

She  cut  up  her  firewood  the  same  as  she 
did  before  she  had  the  luxury  of  possess- 
ing a  husband.  When  Mrs.  Panks  remon- 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  71 

strated  with  her  over  the  fence,  she  told 
her  to  hold  her  tongue. 

"'Bijah  didn't  want  to  git  merried,  an' 
'tain't  fair  to  pile  things  on  to  him,"  she 
declared,  chopping  away.  "You  go  in  to 
your  house,  Nancy  Panks,  an'  tend  to  some 
o'  them  children  squallin'  around,  an'  there 
won't  be  so  much  time  fer  you  to  stick 
your  nose  into  other  folks's  business."  And 
Nancy  Panks  went. 

The  Panks  boy  shuffled  up  to  the  inn 
side  door  just  as  the  landlady  set  down  the 
last  of  her  row  of  freshly  baked  apple  pies 
on  the  buttery-window  shelf. 

"  If  I  could  never  see  a  pie  again  in  all 
my  mortal  life,  I'd  be  happy."  She  mopped 
her  heated  face  with  a  corner  of  her  blue- 
checked  apron.  "  Here  you,  Johnny  Panks, 
what  do  you  want  around  here  ?  " 

"I  ain't  a-doin'  nothin',  Mis'  Barlow," 
said  the  widow  Panks' s  hopeful  son,  with 


72  SALLY,   MRS.  TUBES 

an  injured  countenance,  and  mouth  water- 
ing at  sight  of  the  pies. 

"  I  hain't  said  you  did,  but  'twould  be 
precious  short  time  before  you'd  be  up  to 
your  tricks.  What  do  you  want  anyway, 
Johnny  Panks  ?  " 

For  answer,  Johnny  thrust  out  a  crumpled 
bit  of  paper,  his  eyes  on  the  row  of  juicy 
pastry. 

The  innkeeper's  wife  took  it  gingerly  and 
unrolled  it.  "Now  ain't  you  'shamed  to 
muss  that  all  up  so,  an'  Sally  Plunkett 
—  gracious,  I  never  shall  git  used  to  her 
new  name  —  Sally  Tubbs  that  neat!  I'm 
mortified  to  give  it  to  Mis'  Van  Wyck  after 
bein'  ground  up  in  your  dirty  paws." 

u  Say,  hain't  you  got  a  piece  o'  pie  you 
can  give  me,  Mis'  Barlow  ?  "  whined  Johnny, 
ignoring  all  reference  to  the  state  of  his 
hands  and  sinking  down  on  the  upper  step, 
to  stare  at  the  pastry.  "  I  come  clear  up 
here  with  that  letter,  an'  —  " 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  73 

"  An'  clear  back  you'll  go ;  the  idea !  pie 
ain't  for  you,  Johnny  Panks,"  cried  the  irate 
landlady.  "Scat,  now,"  —  she  raised  both 
hands  and  looked  at  him  in  such  a  way  that 
he  soon  found  himself  off  the  step  and  down 
the  turning  of  the  lane. 

« I'll  pull  her  old  cat's  tail  most  off.  I'll 
shake  down  her  clothesline.  I'll — I'll  st-loy 
Tige  on  her  when  she's  comin'  past  our 
house."  Johnny  boiled  over  in  his  rage, 
and  shook  his  impotent  fists. 

Mrs.  Van  Wyck  dropped  the  mangy  bit 
the  landlady  delivered,  and  gazed  at  her 
daughter  with  real  concern. 

"Mamma!"  Violet  sprang  to  her  feet. 
"  Oh,  what  an  awful  wad  !  Johnny  Panks 
brought  that,  I  know." 

"  Never  mind  who  brought  it,"  cried  her 
mother.  "  For  the  first  time  in  seven  years 
Mrs.  Tubbs  lets  me  know  that  she  can't  do 
any  more  washing  for  us."  She  leaned  back 
in  dismay  at  thought  of  the  dainty  under- 


74  SALLY,   MRS.  TUBES 

wear  to  be  intrusted  out  of  Sally's  hands. 
"  What  can  have  happened  ?  " 

"  I'll  go  right  down  and  find  out,"  declared 
Violet,  springing  off. 

"  Violet,"  her  mother  called  after  her, 
"  you  promised  to  go  out  on  the  lake  with 
Mr.  Blair." 

"  This  must  be  attended  to  first,"  Violet 
threw  over  her  shoulder.  "  You  can't  go  — 
you've  an  awful  headache.  I'll  tell  Mr. 
Blair." 

But  Mr.  Blair  was  off,  the  innkeeper  said, 
on  Miss  Van  Wyck's  rushing  out  to  the 
little  office  for  his  assistance,  and  he  didn't 
know  where  in  creation  he'd  gone. 

"Tell  him  when  he  comes  —  I  promised 
to  go  canoeing  with  him  —  that  I've  gone 
down  to  Mrs.  Tubbs's.  I'll  be  back  very 
soon."  Violet  was  halfway  down  the  long 
veranda,  landlord  Barlow  following  her 
to  stand  in  the  doorway. 

She  rushed  over  the  three  quarters  of  a 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  75 

mile,  usually  so  enchanting  a  walk,  skirting 
the  fragrant  meadows,  and  across  the  brook. 
"What  can  have  happened  to  dear  Mrs. 
Tubbs?" 

At  last,  hurrying  around  the  corner  of 
the  small  house,  she  almost  ran  into  the 
arms  of  the  one  sought  for.  "Oh,  Mrs. 
Tubbs ! "  she  cried  breathlessly,  with  pink 
cheeks. 

"  I  hope  your  ma  'xcused  me  for  writin' 
her  that  note.  I  sent  it  to  her  th'  first 
thing  this  mornin'  's  soon  's  I  knew  I 
couldn't  do  your  washin'  no  more." 

"  Mamma  just  received  it,"  cried  Violet, 
panting. 

"  Drat  that  Johnny !  "  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Tubbs.  "He  started  with  it  early  this 
mornin'.  Well,  I  can't  do  no  more 
washin'."  She  made  the  announcement 
in  an  automatic,  dull  fashion. 

"  Oh,  what  has  happened  ?  "  cried  Violet, 
the  colour  coming  and  going  on  her  cheek. 


76  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

"  You  mus'n't  ask  me,"  said  Mrs.  Tubbs, 
in  a  stiff,  high  key. 

"Is  it  anything  I  can  help  about,  dear 
Mrs.  Tubbs?  Do  tell  me  at  least  that." 
Miss  Van  Wyck  came  closer  yet  to  search 
her  face  with  troubled  blue  eyes. 

"No,  you  can't.  There  can't  no  one. 
You  tell  your  ma  I'm  sorrier'n  if  she  was 
th'  angel  Gabriel  an'  I'd  sent  him  word  I 
wouldn't  dust  his  wings,  if  I'd  ben  a-keepin' 
'em  clean ! " 

"  Oh ! "  cried  Violet,  in  great  distress, 
"  can't  you  let  us  help  ?  " 

Mrs.  Tubbs  drew  herself  up  to  her  full 
height  with  pride.  "It's  unpossible,"  she 
said  with  dignity. 

She  didn't  ask  her  into  the  cottage,  and 
Violet  turned  away  at  last  with  a  heart 
sore  at  the  mysterious  calamity  that  had 
shut  out  all  sympathy. 

"Mm!"  Mr.  Tubbs's  little  lean  face 
peered  at  her  over  the  stone  fence  at  the 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  77 

first  meadow.  He  had  evidently  followed 
her,  judging  by  his  scant  breath.  She  was 
pacing  slowly,  forgetful  of  the  waiting  Mr. 
Blair.  Her  head  was  drooping  and  she 
was  lost  in  thought.  "I'll  tell  you  some- 
thin'  if  you  don't  let  her  know.  We've  got 
a  baby  to  our  house." 

"  A  baby !  "  ejaculated  Violet. 

"Mm!"  nodding  his  head.  "It  come 
last  night." 

Miss  Van  Wyck  gazed  at  him  for  signs 
of  insanity.  But  he  blinked  calmly  up  at 
her. 

"  An'  she  won't  let  me  say  a  word  about 
it  to  any  one.  There  was  a  woman  come 
with  it,"  he  added  as  an  afterthought. 

That  admonition  of  his  spouse  to  keep 
silence,  held  the  young  girl's  tongue. 

"  It's  that  old  scoundrel  Abram's  darter 
Jane,  an'  Mis'  Tubbs  says  she's  goin'  to 
take  care  of  her.  Think  o'  that,"  he  added 
in  an  injured  way. 


78  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

"Jane?" 

"Mm!  Abram  Plunkett's  darter;  he 
took  the  farm  away  from  Mis'  Tubbs's 
father.  Mm!  an'  her  baby.  They  come 
last  night,"  he  repeated  aimlessly. 

"Yes  —  yes,"  said  Violet,  impatiently; 
"but  your  wife  isn't  obliged  to  keep 
them." 

"She's  a-goin'  to,  an'  what' 11  become  o' 
me?" 

"  Oh,  you'll  be  taken  care  of  —  don't  fear, 
Mr.  Tubbs,"  said  Violet. 

"  Not  th'  same,"  said  Mr.  Tubbs,  discon- 
tentedly, picking  off  a  grass  tip  to  chew. 
"'Tain't  like  as  'twas  a' ready.  Ther'  was 
no  pie  to  breakfast.  Think  o'  that. 
Mm!" 

"  It  isn't  a  time  to  think  of  anything  but 
dear  Mrs.  Tubbs  working  herself  to  death," 
exclaimed  the  girl,  impulsively. 

"  An'  my  rheumatics  is  bad."  Mr.  Tubbs 
shot  a  glance,  calling  for  sympathy,  but  find- 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  79 

ing  none,  relapsed  into  gloom.  "  I  wish  to 
goodness  —  "  but  Miss  Van  Wyck  was  gone. 

Richard  Blair  was  awaiting  her  on  the 
inn  veranda  with  an  impatience  ill  con- 
cealed. 

"Forgive  me/'  said  Violet.  She  had 
hurried  at  the  last,  and  her  cheeks  were 
pink. 

"Don't  mention  it,"  said  Blair,  whose 
world  was  bright  now  that  she  had  come. 
He  helped  her  into  his  trap  and  opened  the 
white  parasol.  "  It's  just  the  afternoon  for 
the  lake,"  he  said  gayly,  as  they  spun  off. 

Violet  Van  Wyck  came  home  at  dusk 
with  the  consciousness  that  her  mind  was 
more  on  the  misfortunes  of  Mrs.  Tubbs 
than  upon  the  fact  that  she  had  refused 
Richard  Blair's  offer  to  make  her  mistress 
of  the  millions  that  his  father,  a  feeble  old 
man,  would  soon  put  into  the  hands  of  his 
only  child.  He  was  a  good  sort  of  a  chap, 
this  young  Blair,  but  she  never  gave  a 


80  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

thought  to  him  beyond  the  everyday  com- 
radeship of  the  gay  little  country  inn,  and 
after  settling  matters  definitely  with  him 
in  the  lazy  canoe,  she  fell  to  musing  on  the 
ways  and  means  by  which  to  extricate  Mrs. 
Tubbs  from  her  self-imposed  task. 

"  If  she  only  hadn't  so  much  conscience," 
she  said,  half  aloud,  in  a  troubled  voice. 

Blair  glanced  up  quickly  with  a  set  face. 

"  What  can  be  done  with  a  person  who 
has  too  much  of  that  dreadful  New  England 
article?" 

"  Hey  —  what  —  I  don't  understand." 
Blair  was  bewildered. 

"Oh,  I  forgot,  I  was  thinking  aloud." 
And  then  she  told  him  the  episode  that 
would  change  the  fortunes  of  the  Tubbs 
cottage,  and  finished,  "  What  can  we  do  ?  " 

It  is  a  somewhat  difficult  matter  to  pick 
one's  self  up  after  a  fall  from  the  heights  of 
one's  choicest  aspirations,  to  express  that 
sympathy  that  otherwise  might  be  given  to 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  81 

the  woes  of  a  washerwoman.  Richard  Blair 
was  but  human. 

"  I  should  think  some  of  your  pity  might 
be  bestowed  on  me,"  he  fairly  blazed  at 
her. 

She  glanced  up  at  his  dark  face :  "  Oh,  I 
am  so  sorry.  But  you  see  I  don't  regard  it 
as  a  calamity  to  escape  being  burdened  with 
a  silly  little  thing  like  me." 

"  Don't  jest !  "  his  voice  shook  with  pas- 
sion. 

"  Indeed,  I  would  not  for  the  world,  Mr. 
Blair."  Violet  was  very  grave  now,  and 
she  turned  quite  pale.  He  began  to  gather 
hope. 

"If  you  could  — "  eagerly,  in  a  husky 
voice. 

"  No."  Miss  Van  Wyck  shut  down  the 
gate  of  hope,  but  she  said  no  more  of  the 
woes  of  others.  When  she  reached  home, 
there  was  enough  to  think  of  to  pacify  her 
father  and  mother,  who  could  not  help 


82  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

showing  their  disappointment  at  the  end 
of  the  Blair  episode. 

"  Violet  must  do  as  she  thinks  best ;  but 
he  is  so  good,"  mourned  Mrs.  Van  Wyck  in 
the  solitude  of  their  own  room. 

"  Yes,  if  he'd  only  been  a  rascal,  it  would 
be  easy  to  bear."  Mr.  Van  Wyck  threw 
away  his  cigar  and  took  another,  to  supply 
action.  His  wife,  not  having  such  resource, 
found  a  woman's  only  relief  in  activity  of 
the  tongue. 

"  What's  the  use,  Mabel ;  it  can't  be,"  he 
fumed.  "  This  brand  grows  contemptible." 
He  cast  aside  his  last  choice,  to  fumble  in 
another  box.  He  adored  his  wife ;  but  this 
action  of  his  daughter  had  cut  him  sore. 

"  That's  the  worst  of  it  —  it  can't  be.  Oh, 
Thomas,  why  wouldn't  she  accept  him  ? " 

"Because  she's  a  woman,  and  none  of 
them  ever  do  what  you  expect,"  said  her 
husband,  irritably.  "Well,  let  us  say  no 
more.  You  know  we  always  agreed  when 


SALLY,   MRS.    TUBES  83 

it  came  to  such  questions  we'd  let  our  girl 
do  as  she  liked,  Mabel." 

"  Oh,  dear !  But  then,  of  course,  we  didn't 
dream  of  her  doing  anything  like  this.  Why, 
there  isn't  anything  against  him." 

" No "  —  Mr.  Van  Wyck  squirmed  —  "a 
little  lack  of  energy  in  his  profession,"  wish- 
ing there  was  some  egregious  fault. 

"But  it  is  so  good  of  him  to  have  any 
profession  at  all,"  cried  his  wife,  eagerly ; 
"  he  needn't  have  gone  into  the  law  when 
there  is  all  that  money  coming  to  him." 

"  For  heaven's  sake,  Mabel,"  cried  her 
husband,  "  let  up  on  the  subject.  It's  over 
with  and  can't  be  helped.  I'm  going  down 
for  a  game  of  whist.  Come  on,  dear."  He 
laid  a  hand  on  her  slender  shoulder. 

"  Whist!  Oh,  Thomas, I  couldn't  look  at 
a  card,"  she  said  reproachfully. 

"Now  see  here,  Mabel.  You  know  me 
pretty  well  after  living  with  me  for  twenty 
years.  It's  either  cards  or  an  explosion,  for 


84  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

I've  reached  my  limit.    Which  will  you 
choose  ?  " 

She  chose  cards,  and  let  him  lead  her 
downstairs  and  engage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Russell 
for  a  game. 


FOUR 

k  AIN'T  right,"  Mrs.  Tubbs  said 
to  herself,  over  and  over, 
while  heating  some  gruel 
for  the  half-starved  woman, 
"  f er  me  to  keep  on  tryin'  to  do  that  washin' 
fer  Mis'  Vanwyck  now  I've  got  other  re- 
sponsibilities. She'd  have  to  wait  some- 
times fer  her  clothes  now  Jane's  so  sick.  I 
couldn't  be  reg'lar  even  if  I  sat  up  all  night, 
an'  'Bijah  bein'  took  with  his  spells  so 
often.  I  must  tell  Melinda  Gibbs  to  go  an' 
git  th'  job.  Melinda  can  do  'em,  of  course 
not  like  me,  but  after  a  fashion.  An'  I'll 
send  word  by  her  to  Mis'  Vanwyck  to  tell 
all  th'  other  ladies." 

As  soon  as  the  gruel  was  swallowed,  Mrs. 
Tubbs  shut  herself  into  her  bedroom,  and 

85 


86  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

jammed  the  wooden  button  down  over  the 
latch. 

"  Now  me  an'  th'  Lord's  got  to  have 
another  tussle,  same  's  we  had  last  night 
when  Jane  come  walkin'  in  with  that  baby 
an'  says,  says  she,  '  I'm  your  cousin,  an' 
ther'  ain't  a  livin'  mortal  to  help  me  but 
you,'  an'  then  flopped  down  on  the  kitchen 
floor,  an'  didn't  know  nothin'  fer  an  hour. 
An'  after  I'd  got  her  to  bed,  in  th'  loft,  an' 
Mr.  Tubbs  into  his  bed,  why  I  fit  it  out. 
An'  th'  Lord  beat."  She  drew  a  long  breath 
at  the  memory. 

"An'  here  I  be  again,  an'  another  tussle 
on  my  hands.  I've  got  to  sell  them  real 
silver  spoons ;  there  ain't  much  left  in  th' 
stockin'."  She  twitched  open  the  upper 
drawer  of  the  big  mahogany  bureau,  a  relic 
of  her  early  days  at  the  farm. 

"  I  was  countin'  on  th'  summer  washin's 
to  set  me  up  again  v^hen  I  bought  my  wed- 
din'  veil ;  an'  them  curtins  was  so  cheap." 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  87 

It  took  but  little  time  to  reckon  up  the 
coins,  with  one  solitary  two-dollar  bill,  and 
she  tied  them  all  in  fast  with  the  faded  red 
string,  tossed  the  stocking  into  the  drawer, 
slammed  it  to,  and  thus  delivered  her- 
self:— 

"  Lord,  'tain't  any  use  fer  you  to  keep  at 
me.  I'll  do  it.  Isayliuill.  Them  spoons 
has  got  to  go.  Mr.  Tubbs  ain't  a-goin'  to 
be  put  out  no  way  about  nice  vittles.  An' 
Jane  an'  that  dretful  nasty  baby  to  feed. 
0  Lord,  I  say  I'll  do  it.  Ain't  that 
enough  ?  " 

It  was  not  an  easy  matter  to  dispose 
of  the  spoons,  as  the  recipient  could  not 
offer  them  to  the  givers  at  the  hotel,  nor  at 
the  store  in  the  city  where  they  were  pur- 
chased—  that  would  be  giving  the  story 
away;  but  they  were  taken  off  from  the 
post  of  honour  by  the  side  of  Bunyan's 
"Pilgrim's  Progress"  on  Mrs.  Tubbs's 
centre-table,  and  never  more  seen  by  her 


88  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

callers.  And  after  that  the  stocking  bulged 
more,  and  'Bijah  had  pie  for  breakfast. 

But  Jane,  despite  all  efforts  to  rouse 
her,  turned  her  face  to  the  wall.  "  You'll 
take  care  of  baby,  I  know,"  she  said,  "  'tain't 
no  use  fer  me  to  live." 

"I  won't  —  I  won't,"  declared  Mrs. 
Tubbs,  wildly.  "  Drat  that  young  one !  I 
hate  babies.  Here,  take  this  gruel,"  run- 
ning to  the  stove  for  a  fresh  supply. 

"  Git  away  with  your  slops,  I'm  sick  o' 
livin'."  Jane  shut  her  teeth  fast  with  the 
Plunkett  obstinacy.  "  Folks  said  when  Jed 
Simmons  married  me  —  " 

"  Jed  Simmons !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Tubbs. 

"  Yes,  what  you  starin'  at  ?  I  said  Jed 
Simmons.  Folks  said  when  he  married  me 
I'd  got  a  crooked  stick  —  an'  so  I  did.  If 
any  one  got  a  crookeder,  I'd  like  to  know 
it."  She  sat  straight  in  bed,  and  throwing 
up  her  arms  she  cursed  to  right  and  to  left 
the  man  who  was  her '  husband,  and  the 
father  of  her  child. 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  89 

"  You  shut  up !  "  commanded  Sally,  set- 
ting down  the  bowl  of  gruel ;  and  advanc- 
ing on  Jane,  she  took  down  the  wild  arms 
and  thrust  the  sick  woman  under  the  bed- 
clothes. "  Now,  then,  this  is  Mrs.  Tubbs's 
house  I'd  have  you  to  know,  an'  there  ain't 
no  such  goin's  on  to  be  put  up  with.  Here, 
open  your  mouth  an'  swaller  this  gruel." 
She  made  her  do  it.  "  You'll  make  up  your 
mind  to  live  an'  take  care  o'  your  own 
young  one,  an'  not  shuffle  it  off  on  to  me." 
Then  she  rushed  out  and  slammed  the  door. 

"  Oh,  Lord  'a'  mercy !  to  think  o'  that 
good-for-nothin'  Jed  Simmons,  an'  me  givin' 
him  money  fer  a  fresh  start !  My  brain'll 
slump  in  next,  an'  I'll  be  howlin'  like  a 
hmattic." 

At  last  Jane  crept  around,  weak-eyed  and 
miserable,  and  dandled  her  baby  with  a 
peevish,  unwilling  hand. 

A  party  of  walkers  from  the  inn  found 
her  thus  occupied  outside  the  cottage  door. 


90  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

As  they  advanced,  Sally's  cousin  looked 
up. 

"I  wish  you'd  give  me  some  money  to 
help  me  git  away  from  here."  She  coughed 
badly,  lifting  her  thin  face  to  peer  up  at 
them.  "  I  hain't  got  one  cent  to  my  name." 

They  surveyed  her  coldly  and  passed  on — 
all  but  Violet  Van  Wyck  and  Gerald  Fair- 
brother  :  she  to  go  into  the  cottage  in  a  vain 
attempt  to  force  financial  sympathy  upon 
Mrs.  Tubbs,  and  the  young  man,  her  com- 
panion in  the  walking  party,  to  wait  for 
her.  He  slipped  back  to  Jane's  side,  and, 
one  eye  on  the  gay  crowd  moving  off,  said 
rapidly,  "  How  much  do  you  want  to  take 
you  away  and  relieve  Mrs.  Tubbs  of  your 
care  ?  " 

She  lifted  a  dull  face,  not  understanding 
him.  When  she  comprehended,  her  sharp, 
black  eyes  glistened,  and  the  hectic  rose  to 
her  high  cheek  bones. 

"Twenty  dollars.     I'll  go  fer  that." 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  91 

"  And  never  come  back  ?  " 

"  An'  never  come  back.  Lord  save  us, 
do  I  look  like  it?"  She  gave  a  short 
laugh,  very  unpleasant  to  hear. 

"  Hardly."  He  thrust  his  hand  in  his 
pocket,  laid  something  in  her  lap,  which 
she  clutched  with  a  thin,  greedy  hand,  "  As 
soon  as  you  can  get  off." 

She  nodded.  "  Well,  Mrs.  Tubbs,"  Vio- 
let was  saying  in  a  sorry  little  voice,  and 
coming  out,  "if  you  only  knew  how  un- 
happy you  make  us  all,  and  we  so  long  to 
help  you." 

Gerald  hugged  himself.  "  My  innings  are 
in  sight!  This  will  win  her  heart."  He 
glowed  at  the  loss  of  his  twenty  dollars, 
not  a  small  thing  to  him  with  his  limited 
exchequer,  but  a  trifle  when  the  rich  man's 
daughter  was  the  prize  in  sight.  And  he 
stepped  off  by  her  side  in  a  transport  at 
the  chance  fate  had  thrown  in  his  way,  of 
serving  her  whim. 


92  SALLY,   MBS.   TUBES 

"  Mr.  Tubbs,"  —  Sally  with  a  weary  face 
pushed  back  her  hair,  —  "your  dinner's 
ready." 

'Bijah  looked  the  small,  scrupulously 
neat  table  over  critically.  She  saw  that 
something  was  wrong.  "Th'  pie's  under 
th'  plate,"  she  said  quickly,  "to  keep 
hot." 

'Bijah's  face  brightened  and  he  pulled 
up  his  chair. 

"I  ain't  a-goin'  to  set  down,"  said  his 
wife,  indifferently,  and  putting  the  delica- 
cies up  at  his  end  of  the  family  board. 

Mr.  Tubbs  not  appearing  to  care,  but  be- 
stowing all  his  attention  on  conveying  the 
food  with  knife  and  fork,  as  rapidly  as  pos- 
sible to  his  mouth,  she  poured  him.  a  gen- 
erous cup  of  tea,  and  then  turned  away. 

"Where's  th'  chick'n?"  he  asked,  with 
mouth  full. 

"  'Twas  et  up  at  breakfast "  —  she  didn't 
say,  "  You  et  it." 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  93 

"Ain't  that  woman  —  that  Jane  —  et  it 
up?"  pointing  with  his  knife  to  the  loft. 

"  No,  there  warn't  none  left.  I  give  her 
somethin'  else."  Mrs.  Tubbs  didn't  think  it 
necessary  to  add  that  she  had  bought  a 
juicy  slice  of  steak  for  that  purpose. 

"Mm!  Well,  ain't  there  no  more?" 
in  a  disappointed  voice. 

"No,  I  tell  you,  'Bijah;  but  I'll  git 
you  another  to-morrow,"  said  Mrs.  Tubbs, 
quickly. 

"Chick'n's  all  I  can  eat,"  observed  the 
aggrieved  Mr.  Tubbs,  cutting  a  generous 
wedge  of  cold  ham  discontentedly. 

"Well,  to-morrow  you'll  have  another 
one,  'Bijah."  Mrs.  Tubbs  went  up  to  the 
bedroom  in  the  loft.  "  I  must  call  Jane." 
She  came  down  as  white  as  the  snowy 
clothes  that  were  always  her  pride. 

"  Oh  Lord  —  'Bijah—  Mr.  Tubbs  !  "  She 
sat  heavily  down  in  the  first  chair. 

'Bijah  kept  on  eating.     He  couldn't  for 


94  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

his  life,  having  existed  for  so  many  years 
on  the  slenderest  of  meals,  let  his  wife's 
good  cooking  be  marred  by  trivial  inter- 
ruptions. 

"'Bijah —  I'm  faint."  It  came  in  such  a 
feeble  little  crow  that  Mr.  Tubbs,  aston- 
ished at  such  a  sound  in  connection  with 
his  wife,  paused  suddenly  in  his  gastro- 
nomic feats.  "What's  th'  matter  with  ye?" 

"I  d'no,"  gasped  Mrs.  Tubbs;  "gimme 
some  water,"  faintly. 

Mr.  Tubbs  got  out  of  his  chair,  and  see- 
ing the  pitcher,  gave  her  the  whole  of  its 
contents  at  once. 

"  Oh  Lord,  'Bijah  !  "  she  sputtered, "  what 
you  doin'? — Wheel"  as  the  streams  ran  all 
over  her. 

"What  is't?"  cried  'Bijah;  "what  ails 
ye?"  He  was  really  frightened  now. 
"  Here,  wake  up,"  for  Mrs.  Tubbs's  eyes 
were  closed. 

"  Th'  baby  —  she's  gone  —  "  gasped  Mrs. 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  95 

Tubbs,  feebly.  "  Oh  Lord,  and,  Oh  Lord !  " 
And  she  waved  in  her  chair. 

"  I'm  glad  on't."  'Bijah  even  straightened 
himself  up.  "  She'd  orter  gone  an'  took  it 
afore." 

"She  hain't." 

"  You  said  she  had." 

«  She  has." 

'Bijah  leaped  away  from  his  wife  to  the 
middle  of  the  kitchen  and  stared  at  her  in 
absolute  terror.  He  wrung  his  little,  thin 
hands.  "  She's  crazy  's  a  loon,"  he  groaned. 

"Don't  act  like  a  fool,"  his  wife  crowed 
again;  then,  seeing  his  helpless  condition,  for 
he  was  groaning  and  wringing  his  hands,  — 
his  poor  little  bald  head  wagging  from  side 
to  side,  —  she  pulled  herself  straight  on  her 
chair.  "  One  of  us  has  got  to  keep  th'  wits 
th'  Lord  give  us.  'Bijah  !  " 

This  was  so  like  her  natural  voice,  that 
the  waving  and  groaning  ceased.  "  Yes'm," 
said  Mr.  Tubbs,  meekly. 


96  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

"Come  here."  He  stole  to  her  chair. 
"  That  woman,"  pointing  to  the  loft,  "  has 
gone  an'  left  that  baby  on  my  hands."  She 
held  out  a  piece  of  paper  fiercely  and  shook 
it  at  him. 

It  was  so  much  worse  than  Mr.  Tubbs 
had  imagined  that  his  tongue  clove  to  the 
roof  of  his  mouth.  His  jaws  wagged  more 
than  his  head  had  done,  but  no  words  came. 

"That  baby  —  that  nasty  baby  of  Jane 
an'  Jed  Simmons  to  be  —  " 

"Whose?"  'Bijah  suddenly  found  his 
tongue. 

"  Never  mind  —  Jane's,  I  say." 

"  Whose  else's  ?  "  He  pricked  up  his  lit- 
tle ears  eagerly. 

"  Never  mind,  I  say.  Ain't  it  enough  it's 
Jane's  ?  An'  I've  got  it  tied  to  me  fer  life. 
She  says  she  ain't  never  comin'back,an'  she'll 
fix  it  so  's  I  can't  find  her.  Oh  Lord ! " 

"Ye  hain't  got  to  keep  it?"  blurted 
'Bijah. 


SALLY,   MRS.    TUBES  97 

«  Why  not  ?  "  She  threw  her  long  figure 
around  on  her  chair  to  look  at  him. 

"  They  take  'em  at  th'  poorhouse  in  th' 
city,"  edging  away. 

"Poorhouse!"  screamed  his  wife.  "A 
relation  o'  mine  put  on  th'  town !  " 

"  How  do  you  know  she  is  a  relation  ?  " 
Mr.  Tubbs  ventured,  as  a  last  resort.  "  You 
hain't  got  no  proof." 

"Yes  I  have.  She  showed  me  Uncle 
Ab'm's  picter,  an'  she's  got  th'  Plunkett 
nose.  There's  all  th'  proof  I  want.  An' 
that  nasty  baby  b'longs  to  me.  You  can't 
git  red  on't." 

The  person  under  discussion  at  this  in- 
stant lifted  up  its  voice  in  the  loft. 

"  There  it  goes  —  there  it's  always 
goin',"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Tubbs,  tragically; 
"  that  baby's  begun  a'ready  to  fasten  to  me 
fer  life."  She  dragged  herself  out  of  her 
chair  and  over  the  stairs. 

"  Don't  talk  o'  pie  an'  chick'n,"  cried  Mr. 


98  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

Tubbs,  wildly,  to  an  imaginary  audience, 
"  when'll  I  ever  see  'em  again  ?  Oh,  you ! " 
He  shook  his  little  thin  fingers  up  toward 
the  loft. 

"I  s'pose  I'd  orter  think  o'  Jane  wan- 
derin'  off  without  a  cent  o'  money,"  said 
Mrs.  Tubbs  that  afternoon,  in  a  subdued 
frame  of  mind  very  touching  to  see.  She 
was  mending  her  spouse's  nether  garment, 
treading  now  and  then  the  rocker  of  the 
cradle  she  had  borrowed  for  Jane  from 
Mrs.  Panks ;  "  but  there,  I  hain't  no 
thought  over  an'  above  this  poor  deserted 
creeter." 

"It's  a  bad  baby,"  said  Mr.  Tubbs,  un- 
easy at  the  glimmerings  of  any  tender 
feelings ;  "  it's  a  bad,  nasty  baby,  an'  it  will 
eat  orful." 

"  An'  I  d'no  but  what  if  she  was  so  un- 
nat'ral  as  to  desert  it,  but  what  'twill  be 
better  fer  him  that  she's  gone." 

"'Twon't  be,"  snapped  'Bijah,  "'twon't 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  99 

be,  not  at  all.  An'  he'll  eat  an'  eat,  an' 
want  lots  o'  clothes." 

"  I  hope  th'  Lord' 11  fergive  me  for  carryin' 
on  so."  Mrs.  Tubbs  placed  a  new  piece 
over  the  rent,  patted  it  into  place,  and  then 
began  to  darn.  "Oh,  dear  me  —  but  a 
baby ! "  She  gave  the  cradle  a  jerk, 
twitched  off  the  patch,  and  began  to  cut 
out  another. 

The  baby  gave  a  feeble  cry  that  presently 
broke  into  a  roar. 

Mrs.  Tubbs  cast  aside  the  trousers,  send- 
ing the  black  patch  flying  one  way  and  the 
scissors  another.  "  There,  see  what  you've 
done  now,  Sally  Tubbs  !  Here  —  stop  cry- 
ing." She  got  down  on  her  knees  and 
with  her  hard  hand  began  to  stroke  the 
thin,  angry  little  face. 

But  this  only  made  it  worse.  He  was 
cross  enough  when  awake;  roused  out  of 
sleep,  he  was  unbearable,  and  the  shrieks 
came  thick  and  fast. 


100  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

"  There,  you  mus'n't  cry/'  Sally  crooned 
over  him,  bending  low  within  the  cradle. 
He  beat  her  with  tiny  fists  of  passion.  At 
last,  she  never  knew  how  she  did  it,  she 
swooped  down,  gathered  him  up  to  her 
breast  and  held  him  close. 

"There  shan't  nothin'  hurt  ye.  There 
shan't  nothin'  hurt  ye,"  she  cried,  holding 
her  long,  hard-lined  face  against  the  tear- 
swept  little  red  one.  "  You  pretty  creeter 
you.  There,  there,  there !  " 

'Bijah  took  one  look  at  this,  and  fled  the 
cottage  to  lean  up  against  the  fence. 

Out  came  the  widow  Panks. 


FIVE 


HE'S  a-huggin'  th'  baby!" 
he  gasped  the  words,  cling- 
ing to  the  top  railing  for  sup- 
port. 

"  You  don't  say  so ! "  Mrs.  Panks  cried 
wildly.  "  You  hain't  seen  straight,  'Bijah." 
"  An'  she  kep'  a-sayin'  she  hated  it,  an' 
'twas  tied  to  her  fer  life."  He  mouthed 
it  so  fast  the  widow  only  caught  the  first 
sentence. 

"  I  know  it  —  an'  now  huggin'  it !  Well, 
I  am  clear  beat."  She  crept  off,  if  the  lo- 
comotion of  such  a  round  body  could  be 
thus  described,  toward  the  house. 

"Keep  away !  "  screamed  'Bijah  in  a  thin, 
sharp  voice.     "  She's  crazy  as  a  hornbug." 
101 


102  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

"  I  ain't  goin'  in.  I'll  peek  through  the 
winder  "  —  which  she  did. 

It  was  as  Mr.  Tubbs  said.  There  paced 
Sally  back  and  forth  across  the  kitchen 
floor,  the  baby's  head  under  the  long  chin ; 
and  wonder  of  wonders,  Mrs.  Tubbs  was 
actually  achieving  some  sort  of  lullaby  that 
sounded  more  like  the  creaking  of  a  gate 
upon  a  rusty  hinge.  But  it  pleased  its 
listener,  for  his  howls  had  ceased,  and  he 
was  sucking  his  thumb. 

"My  soul  an'  body!  what's  come  to 
Sally  ?  "  breathed  the  widow,  straining  her 
eyes,  and  working  her  short  neck  to  see 
better.  Mrs.  Tubbs  turned  in  her  tracks 
and  saw  her.  "Come  in,"  she  called. 

Widow  Panks  sank  below  the  window 
casing.  "  Oh,  I  don't  darst,"  she  breathed 
fearfully. 

"  Why  don't  you  come  in  ? "  cried  Mrs. 
Tubbs  in  such  strident  tones  that  Mrs. 
Panks  found  herself  slowly  entering  the 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  103 

cottage,  taking  the  precaution  to  leave  the 
door  open. 

"  Shut  that  door  "  —  she  shut  it. 

"  Now,  then,  I  want  to  talk  to  you  about 
this  baby,  sence  its  mother's  gone." 

"Mother  gone!"  ejaculated  the  widow. 
She  forgot  to  shut  her  mouth  after  this  ex- 
clamation, and  her  eyes  being  open  to  their 
fullest  extent  the  sight  got  on  Mrs.  Tubbs's 
nerves. 

"  Can't  you  hear  a  thing  without  lookin' 
like  a  fool,  Nancy?"  she  cried  irritably. 
"  Yes,  I  said  its  mother's  gone.  Anythin' 
strange  in  that  ?  " 

"Where's  she  gone  ?"  asked  Nancy. 

"None  o'  your  business;  that's  neither 
here  nor  there.  What  I  want  of  you  is  to 
git  a  few  p'ints  on  how  to  manage  a  baby. 
Th'  Lord  knows  you've  had  experience, 
Nancy." 

"  I  guess  I  have,"  said  the  widow,  grimly. 
All  her  family  cares  rushing  over  her  mind 


104  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

brought  her  to  herself  and  to  the  powers  of 
speech. 

"  Now  begin ;  what  do  I  do  about  washin' 
him  ?  "  She  glanced  at  the  bundle  in  her 
arms  in  its  dirty  red  gown,  with  a  helpless 
terror  in  her  face. 

"  You  don't  wash  'em  much.  Mine  never 
were." 

"  Oh,  dear !  I  know  it.  Well,  this  boy's 
goin'  to  be  washed.  How  do  you  do  it, 
Nancy  ?  "  The  tone  was  pleading,  and  such 
a  change  from  the  usual  Sally,  as  inspired 
a  fresh  dismay  in  the  widow. 

"  Well,  I  should  put  him  in  a  tub." 

"I  thought  folks  held  'em  on  the  lap, 
an'  soaped  'em,"  suggested  Mrs.  Tubbs. 

"  If  you're  goin'  to  wash,  a  baby,  I  should 
wash  it,"  declared  Mrs.  Panks,  finding  it 
quite  to  her  liking  to  reverse  positions  and 
boss  her  neighbour.  "  Fill  your  tub  full  an' 
plump  him  in." 

"Oh!"    Mrs.    Tubbs's    arms    tightened 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  105 

around  her  charge  so  summarily  left  to  her 
care. 

"  Well,  what  next  ?  "  she  asked. 

"Why,  then  you  dry  him,"  said  the 
widow.  "  After  he's  wet  all  over,  he  wants 
to  be  wiped,  don't  he?" 

"Yes,  of  course  —  but  don't  you  put 
white  stuff  on  him?  I  saw  Mrs.  Harmon 
up  to  the  hotel  doin'  it  to  her  baby  when 
I  took  home  her  clothes." 

"  White  stuff !  "  repeated  Mrs.  Panks  in 
scorn.  "  No,  indeed,  water  an'  a  rag's  all  you 
want.  You  be  a  fool,  Sally."  It  was  such 
a  comfort  to  say  that  for  the  first  time  in  her 
life,  that  she  repeated  it.  "  You  be  a  fool." 

Mrs.  Tubbs  made  no  reply. 

"  I  never  can  dress  him,"  she  said  at  last ; 
"  just  see  there,  Nancy  Panks."  She  turned 
the  baby  over  and  over  on  her  long,  restless 
arms.  "  Such  a  lot  o'  pins ;  an'  I  don't  know 
no  more'n  th'  dead  how  to  git  him  out  an' 
into  these  fixin's." 


106  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

u  Gimme  that  baby,"  the  widow  com- 
manded. Mrs.  Tubbs  relinquished  her 
charge  with  reluctance.  "Such  a  piece  o' 
work  as  you  make  out  o'  this,  Sally.  It's 
as  easy  as  rollin'  off  a  log  to  dress  a  baby." 
She  had  half  the  clothes  off  by  this  time, 
sticking  the  pins  in  her  mouth,  as  she  sat 
down  on  a  low  chair,  and  was  rolling  and 
thumping  the  young  man  to  achieve  the 
rest  of  the  undertaking. 

"  Oh,  you'll  hurt  him,"  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Tubbs  in  alarm,  crowding  close. 

"  Phoo !  don't  I  know  what's  good  fer 
babies  ? "  Apparently  she  did,  for  he 
looked  up  and  smiled,  recognising  a 
trained  hand. 

"Now,  then,  young  man,"  said  Mrs. 
Panks,  when  the  disrobing  was  complete, 
"  there  you  are,  in  a  state  of  nater,"  and 
she  turned  him  over  and  gave  him  a  re- 
sounding slap  where  he  was  least  likely  to 
be  injured  for  life. 


SALLY,   MES.   TUBES  107 

"  Ow ! "  cried  Sally  in  anger,  and  seizing 
the  plump  arm,  "  don't  you  do  that  again, 
Nancy  Panks." 

"  It's  good  fer  'em,"  said  the  widow, 
righting  the  baby.  "  Goo — goo,"  he  cried, 
stretching  his  legs. 

"  Well,  you  ain't  a-goin'  to  do  it  to  my 
baby,  I  can  tell  you." 

"  Yes,  sir,  you're  in  a  state  o'  nater,  young 
man,"  holding  up  the  naked  baby  to  sprawl 
in  the  air.  "  Phew  !  how  dirty  his  clothes 
are !  Git  his  others,  Sally." 

Mrs.  Tubbs's  long  face  gathered  a  dull 
red  all  over  its  surface.  "  He  hain't  got  no 
others.  I'm  goin'  to  set  down  an'  make 
some  right  away." 

"  "Well,  gimme  an  old  sheet  or  somethin' 
to  roll  him  in,"  said  Mrs.  Panks,  throwing 
aside  the  heap  of  dirty  clothes  in  her  lap, 
and  spitting  out  the  pins. 

"He'll  get  cold.  Nancy,  can't  you  let 
me  take  some  o'  your  Sammy's  fixin's  just 


108  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

till  I  can  run  together  a  kind  o'  sort  o' 
clothes  for  him  ?  " 

Mrs.  Panks  lowered  a  line  of  thought 
and  fished  around  in  her  mind  for  a  breath- 
ing space.  "I  s'pose  so,"  she  said  slowly; 
"but  I  hain't  got  but  one  change  for 
Sammy." 

"I'll  do  'em  up  splendid  fer  you  before 
I  give  'em  back."  Sally's  pale  green  eyes 
sparkled.  ***• 

"Well,  you  can  take  'em,  Sally,"  prom- 
ised Mrs.  Panks,  with  a  magnificent  air. 
"  Now,  then,  we  might  as  well  wash  him, 
seein'  he's  all  neked.  Git  a  tub  o'  water, 
Sally." 

"  I'd  druther  do  it  myself,  I  think,"  said 
Mrs.  Tubbs,  slowly. 

However,  being  half-minded  about  per- 
forming the  dreaded  operation,  she  half 
filled  the  washtub  and  dragged  it  along 
before  the  widow.  She  was  so  long  in  de- 
ciding just  how  hot  the  water  should  be 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  109 

she  was  to  carry  in  her  pail,  that  Mrs. 
Panks  shrilled  out,  "  Hurry  up ! "  more 
than  once. 

"There's  more  in  th'  tea-kittle.'*  She 
poured  the  pailful  into  the  tub. 

"  Glory !  he'll  squirm,  I  guess.  That's  too 
cold,"  said  the  widow,  not  hearing.  "  Well, 
in  he  goes ! "  and  before  Mrs.  Tubbs  could 
prevent  it,  in  he  went.  He  did  squirm,  and 
made  a  great  fuss  in  more  ways  than  one, 
and  Sally  twitched  away  the  authoritative 
arms,  seized  the  roaring  baby,  flew  for  a  big 
towel,  and  dried  him  like  any  other  article 
that  was  wet,  and  then  faced  her  quondam 
friend  and  neighbour  with  blazing  eyes. 

"  You  go  right  straight  home,  an'  never 
come  here  again,  Nancy  Panks." 

"  'Twouldn't  'a'  hurt  him  a  mite,  he'd 
warm  up  in  a  minute,"  said  the  widow 
Panks,  aghast  at  the  change  in  the  situa- 
tion. 

"  Go  home ;  d'ye  hear  what  I  say  ?  " 


110  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

"You  shan't  have  any  o'  Sammy's 
clothes,"  cried  Nancy,  in  spite. 

"  I  don't  want  'em,  I'd  sooner  wrap  him 
up  hi  anythin'  than  to  take  those  old  duds. 
There,  there,  don't  cry."  She  had  run  into 
the  bedroom  and  seized  her  honeycomb 
quilt  off  the  bed,  to  huddle  it  around  the 
screaming  baby. 

"  Oh  my !  your  best  bedspread ! "  exclaimed 
the  widow,  raising  her  wet  hands  in  amaze- 
ment. The  precious  quilt  was  the  one  thing  of 
Sally's  that  was  coveted  by  all  the  neighbours. 

"  Go  home ! " 

"I'm  a-goin'.  I  don't  have  to  be  told 
twict,  I  guess,"  said  Nancy,  testily,  getting 
off  from  her  low  seat  with  difficulty,  and 
passing  out  in  a  dudgeon. 

"  I  wish  you  joy  with  your  baby,  Sally 
Plunkett,"  she  hurled  back,  determined  not 
to  please  Mrs.  Tubbs  by  the  sound  of  her 
new  name,  "  an'  I'll  send  over  an'  git  that 

cradle  I  lent  his  ma." 

****** 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  111 

They  were  just  going  down  to  the  "  ball- 
room," the  long,  low-ceilinged  extension 
that  the  landlord  had  put  on  to  the  inn  the 
previous  summer  to  satisfy  his  increasing 
custom.  It  was  to  be  the  hop  of  the  season, 
and  the  young  people  were  crowding  the 
stairways  and  corridors,  and  promenading 
the  veranda,  while  the  musicians  were 
tuning  up  in  the  festive  apartment.  It  was 
great  times  for  Johnny  Panks  and  his 
friends  on  such  gala  nights,  and  here  he 
was  now,  gluing  his  face  to  the  window  to 
see  the  fiddler  tighten  the  strings  of  his 
instrument,  with  those  delightful  trial-end- 
ing squeaks,  and  the  cornetist  give  a  few 
preliminary  toots.  A  white-robed  figure 
was  floating  past.  She  stopped,  and  the 
gentleman  with  her. 

"How  do  you  do,  Johnny?" 

"How  d'ye  do,  Miss  Vi'let?"  He 
scraped  his  bare  toes  back  and  forth  on  the 
veranda  floor.  He  wasn't  so  afraid  of  her 


112  SALLY,   MRS.    TUBES 

in  Sunday-school,  for  he  knew  how  to  get 
the  best  of  any  teacher.  But  here  he  was 
simply  crushed. 

"How  is  Mrs.  Tubbs?"  asked  Miss  Van 
Wyck,  one  thought  in  her  mind. 

Johnny  had  been  told  to  get  the  cradle ; 
but  with  such  an  engagement  on  his  mind 
as  the  hop  at  the  inn,  he  preferred  to  wait 
till  morning. 

"  She's  fit  with  ma,"  he  announced,  with 
his  usual  directness. 

"She's  what?" 

"  Scrapped  with  ma." 

"  Oh,  dear  me !     What  is  the  trouble  ?  " 

"  The  nasty  baby ;  an'  ma  don't  like  Mis' 
Tubbs  no  more  —  but  I  do.  She  gives  me 
doughnuts,  an'  sometimes  I  stay  there  to 
dinner  when  we  ain't  goin'  to  have  anythin' 
good.  But  now  that  woman's  gone,  ma 
says  Mis'  Tubbs' 11  have  enough  to  do  with- 
out cookin',  so  I  ain't  goin'  there  no  more 
neither." 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  113 

"That  woman  gone?"  echoed  Violet. 
"  What  do  you  mean,  Johnny  Panks  ?  " 

Quite  elated  at  his  prominence  before  the 
other  ragged  boys  of  his  acquaintance  who 
had  crept  in  his  wake  to  the  window,  Johnny 
reeled  off  with  great  unction  the  whole  story 
as  much  as  he  knew,  making  up  what  he 
didn't  know;  till  Miss  Van  Wyck  under- 
stood that  Mrs.  Tubbs's  cousin  Jane  had 
run  away  secretly,  leaving  her  deserted  baby, 
for  Johnny  could  tell  more  than  his  mother, 
as  he  had  just  pumped  Mr.  Tubbs  as  dry  as 
an  empty  gourd. 

"Mr.  Hastings,  do  excuse  me  one  min- 
ute." Violet  glanced  up  at  the  young  man, 
a  friend  of  Eichard  Blair's,  who  had  come 
from  New  York  that  day  for  the  evening's 
festivities.  She  sped  down  the  veranda. 

"  Who  is  this  Mrs.  Tubbs  ? "  asked  the 
deserted  young  man,  nonchalantly. 

"  She's  a  partic'ler  friend  o'  Miss  Vi'let's," 
said  Johnny,  trying  to  compass  in  a  pro- 


114  SALLY,  MRS.   TUBES 

longed  stare  all  the  elegance  before  him; 
"  she  takes  in  washin',  an'  now  she's  got  a 
baby  she  don't  want,  an'  'Bijah  Tubbs  is  just 
as  mad  as  any  thin'.  Why  don't  you  go  in 
an'  dance?" 

Violet  Van  Wyck,  rushing  to  tell  her 
mother,  came  suddenly  upon  Mr.  Fair- 
brother,  immaculate  in  evening  dress,  de- 
scending the  stairs.  He  stopped  at  the 
apparition  in  floating  white  draperies. 
"What  is  the  matter,  Miss  Van  Wyck?" 
he  demanded  in  consternation  at  sight  of 
her  face. 

"That  dreadful  woman,  that  Jane,  has 
run  off  and  left  her  baby  for  poor  Mrs. 
Tubbs  to  take  care  of."  It  certainly  was 
an  appalling  announcement. 

Gerald  Fairbrother  simply  collapsed,  and 
held  to  the  staircase  post  without  a  word. 

"  How  could  she  go  ?  Mrs.  Tubbs  told 
me  she  had  only  money  enough  to  get  here," 
Violet  panted. 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  115 

"  Miss  Violet — I — I  gave  her  the  money," 
gasped  Gerald.  The  entire  truth  was  out  in 
one  sentence. 

"  Jow/" 

"Yes;  I  thought,  of  course,  she  would 
take  the  child,  and  leave  Mrs.  Tubbs  in 
peace.  I  —  I  —  wanted  to  surprise  you." 
He  wilted  miserably. 

"Well,  you  have  succeeded  admirably." 
The  scorn  in  her  voice  and  face  stung  him 
to  the  quick. 

He  stiffened  up.  "My  success  is  also 
great  in  another  direction.  I  have  found 
that  a  woman  whom  I  thought  angelic  can 
be  disappointing."  It  was  brutal,  the  way  he 
said  it,  more  than  the  words.  But  his  temper 
got  away  from  him. 

"  Thank  you !  "  Violet's  soft  white  gown 
dipped  to  the  floor.  Nothing  could  be  more 
airy  than  the  courtesy  she  made  him,  then 
turned  off  with  her  grand  air. 

"  Miss  Van  Wyck  —  Violet."    Visions  of 


116  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

his  irreparable  loss  if  she  failed  him  —  this 
petted  daughter  of  the  rich  man  —  swept 
him  off  on  a  tide  of  anguish.  And  he  had 
been  so  near  to  the  goal !  Fool  he  was  for 
his  wild  words !  "  Violet  —  hear  me !  " 

But  once  beyond  the  young  man's  gaze, 
she  ran  like  a  child,  and  precipitated  her- 
self into  her  father's  arms,  to  pour  out  the 
story.  "  Do  go  down,  papa,  to  the  cottage 
and  find  out  about  it,  and  see  if  some  one 
can't  start  for  that  dreadful  woman  and 
bring  her  back." 

"  Whew  !  what  a  monstrous  idea  !  Now 
I  tell  you,  Puss,"  —  he  stroked  her  pink 
cheek,  —  "  you  just  drop  Mrs.  Tubbs  and  her 
concerns  from  your  mind,  and  go  in  to  the 
hop." 

"  Yes,  that's  just  it,  drop  that  poor 
woman,"  cried  Violet,  passionately,  "  and 
then  that  wicked  creature  will  get  miles 
away." 

"She's  miles  away  now  probably,"  said 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  117 

Mr.  Van  Wyck,  coolly.  "  Come,  run  along, 
child,  to  your  dance." 

(<  I  never  could  dance  in  all  this  world 
and  think  of  poor,  dear  Mrs.  Tubbs  so  very 
unhappy." 

"  Well,  don't  think  of  her." 

"  I  can't  help  it." 

"  See  here,  Violet,"  —  her  father  drew  her 
into  a  quiet  corner,  —  "  as  you  grow  older, 
you'll  have  many  a  thing  that  you'll  maybe 
want  to  brood  over.  Look  at  the  troubles 
that  we  business  men  have;  yet  we  must 
eat  our  three  meals  a  day,  and  laugh  and 
talk  with  folks.  Everybody  has  to  fight 
trial  that  way." 

She  knew  something  of  a  certain  financial 
load  he  was  at  present  carrying,  and  her 
heart  smote  her  sore.  "  Papa,  I'm  sorry," 
she  cried,  quickly  repentant;  and  getting 
up  on  her  tiptoes,  she  seized  his  gray  mut- 
ton-chop whiskers  and  pulled  his  face  down 
for  a  kiss. 


118  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

"  I  can  bear  anything  so  long  as  my  little 
girl  loves  me  and  keeps  a  sensible  mind," 
he  said  brokenly. 

Mr.  Hastings,  coming  along  the  corridor 
in  search  of  her,  sighted  this  episode. 
"  Great  Scott !  "  he  exclaimed  under  his 
breath,  "I  never  knew  before  that  a  girl 
wasted  her  kisses  on  her  dad,"  and  turned 
on  his  heel  to  dodge  into  another  corner. 

He  ran  up  against  Richard  Blair.  "  Say, 
Dick,  that  Miss  Van  Wyck  is  a  stunning 
girl,  now  I  tell  you.  Has  her  father  a  good 
bank  account  ?  " 

Blair  viewed  his  friend  coldly.  "  Not  par- 
ticularly, I  should  say."  In  the  financial 
world  it  was  well  known  that  the  old  house 
of  Van  Wyck  and  Cowles  was  under  pres- 
sure. Hastings,  on  the  trail  of  an  heiress, 
must  be  sidetracked. 

"  Confound  it,  she's  a  peach  !  I'd  enter 
the  race  if  the  father  could  throw  in  a  good 
dot.  I  can't  see  how  you  ever  passed  her 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  119 

by,  Blair.  You  don't  need  filthy  lucre, 
lucky  dog." 

Richard  Blair  drew  a  long  breath.  "  No 
one  could  pass  her  by.  I  offered  myself  to 
her." 

"  And  she  refused  you  ?  " 

"And  she  refused  me.  Any  further 
questions?  If  not,  I  should  suggest  that 
as  you  are  to  lead  the  German  with  Miss 
Van  Wyck,  you  would  do  well  to  find  her. 
It's  past  the  hour." 

"  She  refused  Dick  Blair  and  his  mil- 
lions ! "  Hastings  found  himself  alone. 
He  was  a  poor  leader  of  the  German,  try- 
ing to  puzzle  out  the  thing.  But  he  re- 
tained his  wits  enough  to  fall  hopelessly 
in  love  with  his  partner.  As  for  Mr. 
Gerald  Fairbrother,  he  didn't  show  up  at 
all  at  the  dance. 


SIX 

LETTER  was  handed  in  for 
Violet  Van  Wyck.  For  a  week 
she  had  proved  her  father's 
words:  "We  must  eat  our 
three  meals  a  day,  and  laugh  and  talk 
with  folks ;  everybody  has  to  fight  trial 
that  way. " 

Had  she  not  done  it  ?  Every  one  knew 
after  the  dance,  that  Gerald  Fairbrother  had 
paid  his  bill  at  the  inn  and  departed,  while 
the  rest  of  the  young  people  were  dancing 
and  the  parents  looking  on.  And  it  was 
also  known  that  she  was  as  much  surprised 
as  were  the  others  at  his  sudden  departure. 
But  she  had  done  as  her  father  had  ad- 
vised, and  been  all  this  weary,  racking  time 
a  brave  little  woman. 
120 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  121 

"Oh,  how  he  looked  when  I  turned  so 
cruelly  away!  And  he  did  it  to  please 
me !  Oh,  Gerald,  Gerald  ! "  She  dropped 
her  head  on  her  hands,  and  sobbed  like 
a  broken-hearted  child. 

Mrs.  Barlow  stumbled  up  the  stairs  in  the 
twilight.  "  Miss  Violet  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  I've  got  somethin'  fer  you." 

The  landlord  knew  Mr.  Fairbrother's 
writing  and  had  communicated  his  belief 
with  a  knowing  wink  to  his  wife,  who 
itched  to  see  the  receipt  of  the  letter. 

"  Please  lay  it  down,  Mrs.  Barlow." 

"Hadn't  you  better  take  it,  Miss 
Violet?" 

"No;  please  lay  it  down  by  the  door." 

Terribly  disappointed,  the  landlady  ran 
the  letter  under  the  door.  When  Violet 
saw  the  corner  appearing,  she  jumped 
from  her  low  seat  by  the  window  and 
pulled  it  in,  and  after  one  wild  glance 


122  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

laid  it  to  her  pretty  bosom,  then  covered 
it  with  kisses. 
It  was  soon  read. 

"Mr  DEAR  Miss  VAN  WYCK:  At  first 
I  did  not  wonder  at  your  scorn  occasioned 
by  my  terrible  blunder.  Of  course  I  should 
have  consulted  you,  who  perhaps  might 
have  understood  how  to  rid  that  miserable 
washerwoman  of  her  burden.  But  I  did  it 
to  please  you.  I  will  say  good-by ;  and  I 
wish  you  a  pleasant  summer. 

"GERALD  FAIRBROTHER." 

No  address,  no  date  —  only  the  post- 
mark New  York.  His  temper  had  not  only 
gotten  the  better  of  him  again,  but  the 
Van  "Wyck  and  Cowles  shadow  had  been 
penetrated  by  the  diligent  use  of  his  time 
among  the  sagacious. 

They  found  her  so  when,  on  receiving  no 
response  to  her  calls,  her  mother  fled  in 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  123 

terror  to  Mr.  Van  Wyck.  The  door  was 
broken  open.  There  she  lay  on  the  floor, 
her  soft  little  hands  still  holding  the  letter 
close. 

There  was  a  doctor  at  the  inn,  and  she 
soon  came  back  to  a  miserable  consciousness. 
But  the  spirit  dropped  out  of  all  plans  for 
fun,  with  Violet  Van  Wyck  sick ;  and  no 
better  prospect  being  ahead,  many  of  the 
young  people  begged  their  guardians  to 
take  them  to  some  gayer  place.  The  letter 
was  still  the  secret  of  the  Van  Wycks,  the 
landlord  and  his  wife  loyally  keeping  back 
the  fact  of  its  receipt.  All  that  any  one 
knew  was  that  Miss  Van  Wyck  had  been 
taken  suddenly  ill,  and  was  now  weak  and 
strangely  listless. 

In  New  York,  Fairbrother  and  Hastings, 
old  acquaintances,  had  run  across  each  other 
at  an  uptown  cafe  they  both  frequented. 
They  nodded  across  the  apartment,  and 
before  their  orders  were  given,  changed 


124  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

their  tables  in  order  to  lunch  together. 
Over  the  wine,  facts  came  out.  Hastings 
had  the  account  of  the  whole  proceeding, 
but  not  until  the  hint  furnished  by  Richard 
Blair  as  to  the  financial  rating  of  pere  Van 
Wyck  had  been  parted  with. 

Gerald's  anger  flamed  high.  "It's  an 
infernal  lie !  "  He  poured  a  fresh  glass  of 
wine.  "  He  wants  her  himself ;  it's  been 
perfectly  apparent  all  summer." 

"  Of  course ;  but  you're  a  blooming  idiot, 
Fairbrother.  Haven't  I  just  told  you  he 
offered  himself  to  her.  There  would  be  no 
reason  for  spoiling  my  chances  or  those  of 
any  man.  But  if  you  don't  believe  me,  ask 
Dunbar.  He'll  give  you  the  truth." 

Fairbrother  swore  within  himself  that  he 
would.  Meanwhile  he  felt  it  was  true,  and 
so  became  communicative.  And  that  night, 
Dunbar,  a  financial  authority,  said  briefly 
over  his  cigar  at  the  club:  "If  you  are 
interested  in  that  quarter,  I  advise  you  to 


SALLY,   MRS.  TUBES  125 

drop  it.  The  pretty  daughter  will  have 
nothing." 

Gerald  shrugged  his  shoulders  —  "I  can't 
afford  expensive  luxuries."  He  passed  into 
the  writing  room,  and  the  letter  for  Hills- 
boro  went  out  that  night. 

Richard  Blair  preferred  to  stay  "  for  the 
fishing,"  he  said,  and  he  watched  the  young 
people  and  their  trunks  depart  from  the 
veranda.  After  the  last  one  had  gone,  he 
strolled  into  the  office. 

There  sat  the  innkeeper  and  his  wife,  dis- 
mally casting  up  accounts. 

"  It's  too  bad  for  you,"  said  young  Blair, 
sympathetically. 

"  It  can't  be  helped."  Mr.  Barlow  drew  a 
long  breath. 

"  And  we  can't  never  say  a  word  as  long 
as  it's  happened  to  the  Van  Wycks,"  his  wife 
hastened  to  say  loyally ;  "  they've  ben  here 
now  seven  summers,  an'  brought  lots  o' 
custom,  an'  ben  as  pretty  to  us  all  the 


126  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

time  as  could  be.  No,  we  can't  say  a 
word." 

"  Still,  it's  hard  on  you,"  said  Blair,  wish- 
ing he  had  such  stanch  friends,  "and  I 
want  to  express  my  sympathy.  Oh,  by  the 
way,  I  think  I'd  like  more  room  now,  seeing 
you  have  it,  and  if  there's  no  objection,  I'll 
move  into  that  corner  suite ;  and  you  may 
give  me  Number  10  in  the  front,  also." 

Mr.  Barlow's  face  glowed.  Here  was  a 
chance  to  recover  some  of  his  losses.  That 
corner  suite  pieced  out  with  the  front  room 
would  bring  in  four  times  as  much  as  the 
apartment  at  present  occupied  by  the  young 
man. 

"All  right,  sir,"  he  cried  joyfully.  "I'll 
have  your  things  moved  down." 

"And  —  another  thing;  I've  just  re- 
ceived word  that  some  friends  of  mine,  to 
whom  I  wrote  last  week,  want  to  come  — 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor,  and  three  daughters." 

"Now  you're  a-talkin',"  exclaimed  Mr. 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  127 

Barlow,  his  hand  trembling  with  delight 
while  he  tried  to  write  the  names ;  "  much 
obleeged  to  you,  sir." 

"  An'  we  take  it  it's  just  pretty  in  you, 
Mr.  Blair,"  cried  his  wife,  joyfully;  "we 
shan't  fergit  it  of  you,  an'  we'll  make  'em 
all  as  comfortable  as  can  be."  Her  round 
face  was  one  big  smile  that  ingulfed  her 
double  chin. 

"  Well,  I'm  glad  things  will  look  a  little 
brighter,"  said  the  young  man,  lightly,  turn- 
ing away. 

"  It  would  never  do  for  Mr.  Van  Wyck 
to  have  the  worry  of  any  losses  to  these 
good  people.  He  is  just  the  man  who  would 
pay  them  back.  Now,  I  must  get  off  some 
more  letters." 

It  was  astonishing  how  many  of  Mr. 
Eichard  Blair's  friends  suddenly  found  that 
they  must  get  to  Hillsboro  to  spend  the 
remainder  of  the  summer  and  the  early 
autumn.  They  came  dropping  along  with 


128  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

their  big  trunks  every  day  or  two  till  the 
inn  was  once  more  filled  up.  No  one  knew 
how  bored  he  was  by  having  a  lot  of  peo- 
ple on  his  hands  for  entertainment ;  but  he 
was  a  veteran  at  such  work,  and  gave  no 
sign  but  that  he  liked  it.  And  Charley 
Van  Wyck,  taking  a  desperate  fancy  to 
one  of  the  Taylor  girls,  made  a  capital 
ally  and  soon  relieved  him  of  the  worst 
of  it. 

And  Harriett  Taylor,  reciprocating,  fell 
madly  in  love  with  Charley  Van  Wyck ; 
and  as  the  other  Taylor  girls  looked  for  as 
good  luck  (not  with  Richard  Blair,  hope 
was  dead  in  that  quarter,  but  among  some 
of  his  friends),  everything  was  gay  once 
more  and  quite  as  if  Violet  Van  Wyck  had 
never  been  the  bright  particular  leader. 

She  had  flowers,  beautiful  ones,  sent 
from  the  city  every  day. 

"  Say  nothing  about  it,"  were  Mr.  Blair's 
orders  to  the  landlord;  "just  keep  them 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  129 

fresh  in  her  room."  And  Violet,  weak  and 
wretched,  looked  at  them  listlessly,  and  one 
day  with  a  twinge  of  remorse  at  her  ingrati- 
tude, thanked  her  father. 

"  I  didn't  get  them,  child,"  he  said.  And 
then  it  all  came  out. 

"Oh,  he  mustn't  send  them.  Tell  him 
not  to,  papa."  She  made  him  promise,  and 
sank  back  upon  her  cushions  relieved. 

"  Well,  now,  I've  come  to  set  with  you  a 
spell,"  a  voice  that  could  belong  to  no  one 
but  Mrs.  Tubbs  struck  into  her  solitude. 
Her  mother,  quite  worn  with  anxiety,  had 
gone  to  lie  down.  Papa  was  on  the  ve- 
randa reading  his  paper,  and  Charley  was 
with  Harriett  Taylor.  Violet  was  alone 
with  her  sad  thoughts.  She  looked  up. 
"  Oh,  Mrs.  Tubbs,  you've  brought  the 
baby ! " 

"  Yes."  Sally  marched  in  with  beaming 
face.  "Ain't  he  pretty?" 

He  had  a  sky-blue  delaine  dress  on  and 


130  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

red  shoes,  and  Sally  had  twisted  up  his  stiff, 
yellow  hair,  and  tied  it  with  a  pink  ribbon 
over  his  left  eye.  She  viewed  him  and  her 
work  in  the  utmost  complacence. 

"I  really  believe  you  are  fond  of  that 
child,  Mrs.  Tubbs,"  said  Violet. 

"  I  set  some  store  by  him,  that's  a  fact," 
said  Mrs.  Tubbs,  snuggling  her  charge 
within  her  long  arms.  "  Miss  Vi'let,"  she 
suddenly  confessed,  "  there's  only  one  thing 
that  worrits  me.  I'm  afraid  his  mother' 11 
repent  and  come  after  him." 

"  Oh !  "  exclaimed  Violet.  Then  she  sud- 
denly laid  down  her  head  on  the  cushions 
and  cried  as  if  her  heart  would  break.  This 
chance  remark  brought  it  all  back. 

"  What  have  I  said  ?  Oh,  don't  let  it 
worrit  you;  p'r'aps  she  won't  come."  Mrs. 
Tubbs  set  the  baby  down  on  the  floor, 
propped  him  up  against  a  big  chair,  then 
laid  her  strong  arms  on  the  young,  shaking 
shoulders.  "  Miss  Vi'let,  you  hadn't  orter 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  131 

carry  on  so.  What  in  this  world  o'  misery 
is  th'  matter  ?  " 

"Oh!  oh!"  the  girl  sobbed  on. 

Mrs.  Tubbs  left  her  and  hurried  over  to 
pick  up  the  baby.  "  There,  now,  you  may 
hold  Ira  Plunkett.  I  named  him  after  pa. 
He's  a  sight  o'  comfort  to  me  when  I  feel 
bad."  And  she  plumped  him  in  Violet's 
lap. 

"  Take  him  away !  "  Violet  sat  straight. 
"  I  can't  hold  him.  Take  him  right  away 
this  minute,  Mrs.  Tubbs." 

"  I  shan't  tetch  him.  Hold  on  tight  now, 
or  he'll  roll  off,  an'  maybe  kill  himself." 
Mrs.  Tubbs  folded  her  long  arms,  and  stood 
away  in  the  middle  of  the  room. 

"  Look  at  his  frock,  ain't  it  pretty  ?  That's 
my  blue  delaine  your  ma  give  me." 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Tubbs,  did  you  cut  that  up  ?  " 
said  Violet,  reproachfully,  and  hanging  to 
the  baby  for  dear  life. 

"  Had  to ;  there  warn't  a  scrap  o'  nothin 


132  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

else.  Ain't  it  nice  for  him  ?  An'  that  ribbin 
I  took  off  from  my  weddin'  bunnit." 

"Where  did  you  get  the  red  shoes?" 
asked  the  girl,  astonished  to  find  herself 
interested.  The  tears  were  still  wet  on  her 
cheek. 

"Well,  now,  I'll  tell  you."  Sally  un- 
folded her  arms  to  set  her  palms  on  her 
hips,  and,  delighted  at  her  stratagem,  reeled 
off  how  the  storekeeper,  Mr.  Fitch,  hearing 
about  the  baby,  had  sent  them  as  a  present. 

"  That  was  very  nice  of  him,"  said  Vio- 
let, approvingly,  patting  one  of  the  little 
shoes.  Ira  reached  up  and  clawed  her  hair. 

"  Oh,  my !  "  Mrs.  Tubbs  flew  to  the  res- 
cue. "  He  don't  mean  no  harm,"  untwisting 
his  determined  fingers. 

"Nothing  hurts  me  now,"  said  Violet, 
wearily. 

"Miss  Vi'let,  I'm  goin'  to  speak  my 
mind  to  you.  You're  worryin'  your  pa 
and  ma  'most  to  death." 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  133 

"  Don't ! "  the  girl  shivered  and  put  up 
a  thin  little  hand  beseechingly. 

"  I'm  a-goin'  to.  I  won't  have  it  on  my 
conscience  that  I  kep'  still.  I've  ben  over 
here  every  day  or  two." 

"  And  you've  been  so  good.  I  never  will 
forget  your  kindness,  Mrs.  Tubbs,"  cried 
Violet;  "but  don't  say  any  more  now," 
she  begged. 

"I've  ben  over  every  day  or  two,"  re- 
peated Mrs.  Tubbs,  unmoved  by  the  appeal, 
"an'  I've  only  ben  waitin'  till  you  was 
strong  enough  to  hear  me.  An*  this  aft'- 
noon,  says  I,  it's  got  to  be  done.  I'll  dress 
Ira  in  his  best,  an'  make  her  hold  him  where 
she  can't  git  away,  an'  then,  says  I,  she's  got 
to  hear  me." 

"You're  cruel,"  said  Violet  under  her 
breath.  Mrs.  Tubbs  heard  her,  and  she 
swallowed  hard. 

"  Miss  Vi'let,  if  you  was  to  have  a  tooth 
pulled,  th'  best  way  would  be  to  open  your 


134  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

mouth  an*  have  it  over  with  as  soon 's  th' 
man  could  twitch  it  out.  That's  th'  way  I 
feel  about  my  dooty  in  speakin'.  I  ain't 
a-goin'  to  make  many  words ;  all  I  say  is, 
you  orter  git  up  out  o'  this  room  an'  go 
downstairs  an*  make  things  pleasant  fer 
your  pa  an'  your  ma." 

"It's  impossible,"  cried  Violet,  wildly. 
"You  don't  know  what  is  on  my  heart." 
Her  anger  was  rising  now. 

"No,  I  don't,"  said  Mrs.  Tubbs,  out- 
wardly unperturbed,  though  she  told  Miss 
Van  Wyck  afterward  that  she  shook  like 
all  possessed  inside.  "  I  don't  know  that 
no  more'n  th'  dead;  but  I  do  know  that 
your  ma  and  your  pa'll  keel  up  suddenly 
if  this  thing  goes  on  much  longer.  Then 
I  guess  you'd  be  sorry.  Don't  go  to  pilin' 
up  sorrows  to  cry  over  all  your  days. 

"Misfortunes  is  one  thing,  an'  troubles 
you  make  yourself  is  another,"  she  went 
on. 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  135 

"  But  that's  just  it:  I've  made  this  trouble 
myself."  Violet  broke  out  into  a  cry  again. 
Mrs.  Tubbs  seized  Ira  Plunkett,  propped 
him  on  the  floor  against  his  big  chair,  then 
sat  down  on  the  lounge  and  drew  the  girl 
into  her  lap. 

"You  ain't  much  bigger'n  that  baby," 
she  said.  "  There,  now,  you've  just  got  to 
tell  me  all  about  it." 

Violet  laid  her  head  on  Sally's  bosom, 
and  the  whole  story  came  out. 

"Well,  I  never  did  —  two  young  fools. 
He  was  a  fool  fer  doin'  it,  and  you're  an- 
other fer  scoldin'  him,  an'  then  takin'  on  so. 
Why  in  th'  world  don't  you  write  to  him  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know  where  he  is,"  sobbed 
the  girl. 

"  Your  pa  could  find  out." 

"  Oh,  no,  no ;  I  won't  let  him." 

"  Umph !  I  guess  you  don't  care  much 
fer  him." 

"  I  do  —  I  do,"  cried  the  girl,  impulsively. 


136  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

"Well,  I  wouldn't,"  said  Mrs.  Tubbs, 
slowly,  "fer  he's  shown  himself  kinder 
small,  in  my  opinion." 

"  Mrs.  Tubbs,  you  are  a  perfectly  dreadful 
woman  to  say  such  things,"  cried  Violet, 
angrily,  and  down  went  her  head  again  on 
Sally's  hard  bosom,  and  she  sobbed  as  if  her 
heart  would  break.  Mrs.  Tubbs  rocked  her 
long  body  back  and  forth,  and  let  the  girl 
cry  on,  while  she  lost  herself  in  thought. 
At  last  she  said,  "  I  hain't  come  to  but  one 
conclusion,  an'  that  is,  seein'  your  pa  and 
ma  hain't  done  nothin',  it's  kinder  dirt  mean 
to  worry  them  to  death."  Violet  did  not 
answer.  "  An'  th'  first  thing  you  ought  to 
do,  in  my  opinion,  is  to  think  o'  them."  Still 
no  answer. 

"Th'  Lord  makes  it  dretful  hard  fer  us 
sometimes  to  do  our  dooty ;  but  there,  that's 
His  way.  An'  if  we  don't  give  in,  we  git 
our  noses  broke  worse.  Now,  Miss  Vi'let, 
git  up  an'  put  on  that  pretty  white  frock 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  137 

I  washed  last  fer  you.  An'  go  down  an' 
s'prise  your  pa;  he's  settin'  on  th'  piazzy 
readin'  his  paper  as  I  come  by." 

"  I  can't,"  cried  Violet,  burrowing  deeply 
within  the  long  arms. 

"He's  lookin'  awful  thin  lately,"  ob- 
served Mrs.  Tubbs,  slowly. 

"Don't!" 

"  An'  when  he  goes  —  he's  so  stocky, 
he'll  go  sudden  —  " 

Violet  sprang  to  her  feet.  "Get  my 
gown,"  she  cried  hoarsely,  "in  the  third 
drawer,"  she  was  over  by  the  toilet  table, 
pulling  all  the  pins  out  of  her  pretty  brown 
hair.  Mrs.  Tubbs,  scared  to  death  at  the 
good  result  of  her  words,  knocked  over 
several  small  articles  on  her  way,  opened 
every  drawer  but  the  right  one,  finally 
found  the  gown,  and  turned  with  it,  as  the 
girl  met  her  to  have  it  lifted  over  the  soft 
waves,  every  hair  with  careless  grace  in  its 
right  place. 


138  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

In  two  minutes,  Mrs.  Tubbs  was  alone 
with  her  baby  in  the  Van  Wyck  apartment. 
"  Moses  an'  Aaron,  ain't  I  scared,  Ira !  "  she 
ejaculated,  grovelling  on  the  floor  by  that 
young  man's  side.  "0  my  Lord,  what 
a  scrape  you  got  me  into  when  you  told 
me  to  come  here  an'  stir  her  all  up !  Oh, 
whee !  an'  I  was  so  comf  table  to  home,  an' 
I've  had  to  leave  my  husband,  Mr.  Tubbs, 
all  alone  meanwhilst." 


SEVEN 

E  Panks  children  falling  ill 
from  connection  with  too  many 
green  apples  in  the  orchard  of 
the  next  farmer,  the  widow 
thought  it  wrong  to  harbour  a  grudge 
against  Mrs.  Tubbs  any  longer,  and  accord- 
ingly made  her  a  call  one  afternoon. 

"  'Tain't  neighbourly  to  live  so,  an'  you 
an'  me  used  to  be  so  intimate,  Sally.  Won't 
you  come  over  an'  help  me  a  bit  ?  " 

Mrs.  Tubbs,  working  for  dear  life  on  Ira's 
dress,  turned  and  surveyed  her  slowly. 

"Th'  Lord  knows  I  want  to  give  you  a 
piece  o'  my  mind  like  p'isen,  Nancy,"  she 
said;  "but  I  s'pose  I've  got  to  go,  though 
you  ain't  wuth  it."  She  laid  down  her 

139 


140  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

sewing  in  the  chair.  "  What's  your  young 
ones  bawlin'  fer?" 

"  Green  apples,"  said  Mrs.  Panks,  shortly. 
"I  wish't  they  wouldn't  all  eat  to  onct. 
'Twouldn't  be  so  bad  if  'twas  one  at  a 
time." 

"  I  s'pose  you  want  pep'mint,"  said  Mrs. 
Tubbs  with  an  eye  on  her  little  cupboard 
over  the  stove. 

"  Yes,  Sally,  I  do ;  mine's  all  out." 

As  this  was  the  usual  state  of  Mrs. 
Panks's  supply,  Mrs.  Tubbs  only  snorted. 
"  It's  good  Ira  Plunkett  is  asleep,"  she  said, 
looking  at  the  big  box,  where  since  the 
withdrawal  of  the  cradle,  Jane's  child  had 
been  put  to  rest. 

The  widow's  fat  cheek  turned  a  lively 
red.  "  I'm  sorry  I  took  back  that  cradle," 
she  said ;  "  Johnny'll  bring  it  over  again." 

"No,  he  won't  neither,"  declared  Sally, 
decidedly ;  "  I  like  th'  bed  he's  in  a  great 
deal  better.  It's  healthier  not  to  rock 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  141 

babies,"  she  added,  with  all  the  wisdom  of 
one  who  had  brought  up  a  large  family; 
and  taking  down  the  peppermint  bottle,  the 
two  went  over  together  to  the  squalling 
children,  to  fight  the  green  apples. 

"Say,  whose  baby  is  that  to  your 
house  ? "  suddenly  asked  Mrs.  Panks  when 
the  green  apples  had  let  up  a  bit,  and  there 
was  comparative  quiet. 

"  Jane's,"  said  Mrs.  Tubbs,  laconically. 

"  Of  course ;  who's  its  other  parient  ?  " 

Mrs.  Tubbs  whirled  around  suddenly,  the 
bottle  in  her  hand .  "  Nancy  Panks,  when  you 
catch  a  weasel  asleep,  then  you'll  know." 

"  I  don't  care  about  knowin',"  said  the 
widow ;  "  I  only  ast  fer  conversation." 

"Well,  keep  your  gabbles  fer  somethin' 
that  concerns  yourself,  Nancy,  that's  my 
advice,"  contributed  her  neighbour.  "  That 
tongue  o'  yourn,  an'  your  lively  ears,  0 
Lord,  to  give  such  a  combine  to  one  per- 
son; it's  egregious." 


142  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

"  I  guess  my  tongue  an'  my  ears  are  just 
as  good  as  yours,  Sally,"  said  Mrs.  Panks, 
bridling. 

"  They  may  be  set  quite  as  pretty  —  your 
ears  may,"  said  Sally.  "  I  ain't  a-denyin'  that. 
The  Lord  when  He  made  me,  fergot  to  take  a 
piece  ofPn  mine.  But  land  o'  liberty !  they 
don't  twitch  so  fer  news  as  those  on  your 
head  are  doin'  every  blessed  hour  o'  th'  day. 
Nancy,  I  sh'd  think  you'd  be  all  wore  out." 

"Well,  I  ain't,"  snapped  the  widow. 
"  It's  these  brats  that  wear  th'  life  out  o' 
me.  Shut  up  now !  Your  stomachs  would 
stop  achin'  if  you  didn't  screech  so.  Hain't 
I  told  you  a  hundred  times  to  let  green 
apples  alone?"  She  went  about  among 
them,  dealing  generous  slaps  as  they  wal- 
lowed on  the  kitchen  floor. 

"  Here,  you  stop  that ! "  commanded 
Sally.  "Lord  save  us,  it's  bad  enough  to 
have  a  stomach  ache,  without  bein'  pounded 
an'  lammed." 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  143 

Here  several  of  the  children  disentangled 
themselves  from  the  group,  and  made  a 
rush  for  Sally. 

"  Oh,  my  gracious !  "  she  exclaimed,  tum- 
bling back,  as  they  all  squirmed  to  get  into 
her  lap,  begging,  "Take  me,  Mrs.  Tubbs, 
—  no,  she's  goin'  to  take  me,"  in  a  dread- 
ful chorus. 

"  I  guess  if  you  had  'em  day  in  an'  day 
out,  you'd  lam,"  said  their  mother,  while 
the  children  swarmed  all  over  Mrs.  Tubbs, 
and  wiped  their  poor  noses  on  her  clean 
apron. 

"There  —  there,  don't  screech  so.  If 
you  do,  I'm  goin'  home"  —  which  sufficed 
to  bring  a  lull  in  the  squall. 

"  Hain't  you  got  a  doughnut  to  give  me  ?" 
begged  one  of  the  boys,  coming  out  of  his 
gripes  the  earliest.  "  I'm  dretful  bad,  an* 
I  want  a  doughnut." 

Sally  laughed.  "  You  little  varmint,  you 
screeched  the  loudest  of  you  all.  I  don't 


144  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

give  no  doughnuts  to  boys  that  raise  bed- 
lam like  you  do." 

"  I  won't  holler  no  more." 

"  You  better  not." 

Little  Susan  raised  a  white  face,  and  set 
her  teeth  tight.  Her  eyes  were  rolled  up 
in  her  head.  Mrs.  Tubbs  cast  the  rest  away 
summarily. 

"  Nancy,  come  here  !  " 

When  the  widow  saw  her  child,  she  gave 
a  loud  scream.  This  started  the  children  off 
again  till  the  kitchen  rang  with  the  noise. 

"Nancy  —  you'll  have  to  hurry  —  hot 
water  —  quick  !  I  don't  know  no  more'n 
th'  dead  what  to  do  fer  a  child,  but  if  'twas 
a  person  I'd  put  'em  in  hot  water  —  she's 
cold  as  a  stone.  An'  castor  oil,  Nancy, 
she's  got  to  git  them  apples  up.  Quick, 
Nancy,  fer  your  life !  "  She  laid  little  Susan 
on  the  bed. 

"  There  ain't  no  castor  oil."  Mrs.  Panks 
was  wringing  her  fat  hands. 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  145 

"I'll  git  mine."  Sally  flew  over  home. 
"  Oh  Lord !  eight  children  an'  no  castor 
oil,  an'  I  keep  a  big  bottle  jest  for 
'Bijah." 

But  little  Susan  was  beyond  castor  oil, 
and  although  they  pinched  her  poor  little 
nose,  she  couldn't  swallow.  "  She's  et  some- 
thin'  else  besides  apples,"  said  Sally  at  last. 
"  Run  fer  th'  doctor.  Oh  Lord  !  what's  she 
et,  children?"  They  all  clustered  around 
the  bed,  scared  into  quiet. 

The  biggest  girl  said,  "Red  berries," 
which  sent  the  mother  off  into  a  fresh  fright; 
while  Jimmy,  the  boy  who  had  begged  a 
doughnut,  showed  a  lively  pair  of  heels  after 
the  village  doctor. 

Meantime,  Ira  Plunkett,  left  to  himself  in 
the  old  box,  of  course  awoke.  At  first  he 
was  serene,  preferring  probably  to  turn  his 
late  dreams  over  in  his  mind.  At  last  he 
yearned  for  company,  and  lifting  up  his 
voice  said  gently,  "  Ar-goo." 


146  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

Keceiving  no  response,  he  essayed  again, 
in  clearer  tones,  indicating  a  decided  relish 
for  society. 

Now  older  people  will  agree  that  it  isn't 
pleasant  to  have  one's  social  advances  meet 
silence.  It  is  chilling,  to  say  the  least.  So 
it  struck  Ira  Plunkett,  and  he  recoiled 
within  himself.  Then  a  wave  of  righteous 
indignation  struck  him  and  carried  him  high. 
He  emitted  a  roar,  and  finding  from  the 
wind  that  this  produced  in  his  interior,  that 
he  really  was  hungry,  he  doubled  his  fists, 
beat  his  heels,  vainly  endeavouring  to  kick 
off  the  clothes  Sally  had  tied  down,  and  soon 
the  noise  almost  equalled  the  squall  that  had 
upset  the  Panks  kitchen. 

Mrs.  Tubbs  heard  him  in  the  awful  still- 
ness as  the  two  women  worked  over  little 
Susan.  But  she  couldn't  leave  her,  for  this 
was  fighting  death,  maybe.  Her  long  face 
was  gray  with  the  battle ;  she  turned  away 
from  a  sight  of  the  poor  widow.  Nancy 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  147 

flew  to  her  at  last  like  a  wild  animal.  "  She 
shan't  die ! " 

"  You  hush !  "  commanded  Sally.  "  Chil- 
dren, run  out  an'  see  if  th'  doctor's  comin'." 

Given  something  to  do,  the  whole  troop 
precipitated  itself  out  eagerly. 

"  Don't  you  say  a  word  about  dyin'  before 
them  young  ones,"  said  Mrs.  Tubbs,  sternly. 

"  My  Susan  —  oh,  oh ! "  moaned  the 
stricken  mother.  "An*  I  slapped  her;  0 
my  Lord,  have  mercy ! " 

"  Here,  git  some  more  hot  water,"  cried 
Sally,  at  her  wits'  end  to  furnish  action  for 
the  widow,  who  was  now  on  the  edge  of  a 
collapse. 

"  He's  come !  He's  come ! "  The  whole 
bunch  of  Pankses  with  one  voice  tumbled 
into  the  kitchen.  "I  saw  his  gig  first," 
screamed  one. 

"You  didn't  — I  did." 

"No  such  a  —  " 

"Hush!"    commanded   Sally,   hoarsely. 


148  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

"  Every  one  of  you  go  out,  an'  don't  you 
come  in  again.  Tell  Dr.  Blodgett  to  hurry." 

"Mrs.  Tubbs  is  awful  mean  an'  nasty," 
said  the  biggest  girl  as  they  precipitately 
pitched  out.  "  I  don't  like  her  one  single, 
teenty  bit." 

The  little  doctor  grasped  the  situation  at 
a  glance,  threw  off  his  coat,  and  went  to 
work.  At  the  end  of  an  hour,  a  long 
white  sheet,  one  of  Sally's  best,  was  drawn 
over  the  bed,  beneath  which  in  snowy  out- 
line a  childish  figure  could  be  seen. 

"  You've  done  all  you  could.  The  child 
was  poisoned,  and  nothing  could  save  her 
when  you  found  it  out." 

The  widow  was  in  Mrs.  Tubbs's  arms,  and 
Sally's  tears  ran  down  over  the  coarse,  red 
hair.  The  doctor  bent  over  them  both. 
"  Now,  Mrs.  Panks,  if  you  don't  get  up  and 
see  to  your  other  children  outside,  I'll  take 
you  to  the  hospital."  It  was  harsh  treat- 
ment, and  Sally  shivered,  but  he  held  her  eye. 


SALLY,   MKS.   TUBES  149 

"  This  minute."  The  little  doctor  hauled 
out  his  watch. 

"You  can't,  you  hain't  got  no  right," 
cried  the  poor  mother,  raising  a  red,  tear- 
swollen  face;  for  the  hospital  and  the 
wrench  away  from  her  children  held  mani- 
fold terrors. 

"  I  have  as  a  physician  absolute  right  to 
take  you  to  the  hospital  in  the  city,  and  I 
shall  do  it  unless  you  get  up  instantly  and 
take  care  of  your  children.  Aren't  you 
ashamed,  when  they  need  you  ?  "  Even  Mrs. 
Tubbs  cringed  before  him,  and  she  helped 
her  friend  to  her  feet. 

"  She  needs  no  medicine ;  she's  got  to  be 
scared  out  of  herself,"  he  said,  as  she 
waddled  out,  and  Mrs.  Tubbs  pleaded  for 
medical  treatment.  "And  do  you  go 
home." 

"An*  leave  her  alone?  She'll  go  stark 
crazy." 

"  Go  home,  I  say,"  repeated  the  doctor, 


150  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

accustomed  to  instant  obedience.  "  As  long 
as  you  are  around,  and  will  do  the  work, 
she'll  collapse.  Mind,  start  now,  Mrs. 
Tubbs." 

So  Ira  Plunkett,  exhausted  and  aston- 
ished after  all  the  considerate  treatment  he 
had  of  late  received,  looked  up  at  last  as  he 
lay  quiet  from  sheer  lack  of  breath  enough 
to  howl,  as  she  dropped  beside  his  box. 

"  0  Lord,"  —  her  long  arms  were  around 
him,  —  "if  you  ever  take  away  my  baby, 
'twill  be  dretful  mean.  Don't,  Lord,  I 
couldn't  stand  it.  As  true  as  gospel,  I 
couldn't." 

Parson  Elwood  preached  a  long  discourse 
over  little  Susan;  for  although  it  was  but 
a  child's  funeral,  no  other  citizen  having 
consented  to  furnish  the  opportunity  during 
several  summers,  he  felt  that  the  city  con- 
tingent should  know  his  powers  along  that 
line. 

The  villagers  said  it  was  "edifyin'."    The 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  151 

summer  people  outside  the  Panks  cabin 
oozed  off  in  the  sweet  September  sunshine, 
to  sit  on  the  stone  walls,  and  over  in  the 
green  fields  beyond.  The  parson,  lifting 
his  voice  in  the  doorway,  could  be  heard  in 
all  his  sonorous  periods. 

Mrs.  Tubbs  was  on  pins  and  needles. 
She  had  brought  Ira  Plunkett,  of  course, 
not  daring  to  leave  him  at  home  after  the 
last  experience.  "  Hain't  th'  man  no  sense  ?" 
she  said  to  herself.  "  But  there,  of  course,  he 
hain't,  bein'  a  minister.  They  never'll  set 
it  through,  all  them  children." 

In  the  front  row  was  the  Panks  progeny 
of  all  sizes :  the  girls  with  hair  soaped  and 
tightly  braided  in  tails  down  their  backs, 
each  tied  with  a  wisp  of  black  crape,  and 
the  boys  with  the  same  mourning  emblem 
at  their  throats,  which  Mrs.  Panks  had 
insisted  on  as  "payin'  proper  respec'  to 
Susan." 

"  I  hain't  got  no  crape.     Where  in  Kedar 


152  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

do  you  'xpect  me  to  git  it  ?  "  Sally  said  when 
appealed  to. 

"  You  can  git  it  if  you  want  to,  Sally," 
said  the  widow,  with  dignity. 

So  Mrs.  Tubbs  at  last  bethought  herself 
of  an  old  woman  in  the  other  end  of  the 
village,  who  had  quite  a  possession  of 
mourning  clothes,  of  whom  she  begged  some 
bits;  also  the  loan  of  a  black  shawl  with 
bonnet  and  veil  for  the  mother. 

When  Mrs.  Panks  saw  these  she  was  quite 
overcome.  "You're  th'  best  creeter,  Sally 
Tubbs !  Now  that's  just  el'gant."  At  the 
funeral  she  sat  at  the  head  of  the  little 
coffin,  and  received  all  condolences  in  state, 
as  the  friends  assembled. 

"One  o'  those  children  is  sure  to  break 
out,  an'  then  th'  whole  kit  an'  kerboodle  of 
'em' 11  bust  in.  I  can't  hardly  stand  it  my- 
self," communed  Sally,  her  eyes  running 
over  the  row  of  small  Pankses.  "  An'  then 
Ira  Plunkett'll  commence.  Oh  Lord !  why 
don't  th'  man  stop?" 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  153 

The  Panks  brood  might  have  been  equal 
to  the  strain,  in  the  novelty  of  the  situation 
and  the  endeavour  to  live  up  to  the  crape 
wisps,  had  not  a  small  boy,  one  of  the  sum- 
mer boarders,  chased  a  chicken  across  the 
grass  without  the  window,  at  last  captur- 
ing it,  which  was  heralded  by  a  series  of 
unearthly  squawks. 

"  He's  got  my  chicken ! "  cried  the  small- 
est Panks  boy.  "  Lemme  git  down,"  kicking 
violently  to  right  and  to  left,  and  breaking  in 
upon  the  parson's  most  eloquent  periods. 

"  Set  still,  you  Jonas !  don't  you  know 
you  are  at  your  sister's  funeral ! "  com- 
manded Sally,  in  a  loud  whisper.  She 
reached  over  Ira  Plunkett's  head  and  seized 
the  young  man's  jacket  in  the  rear ;  his 
elder  brother,  very  red  in  the  face,  doing 
the  same  thing.  But  the  decorum  of  the 
stiff  row  of  Pankses  was  broken  up  by  this 
time,  and  it  was  impossible  to  stop  the  con- 
fusion. Jonas  loudly  insisted  that  he  should 


154  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

rescue  his  chicken,  Parson  Elwood  steadily 
claiming  the  right  of  way,  as  his  voice  rose 
above  the  din.  At  last  some  one  carried 
off  the  summer  boarder's  boy  —  and  the 
squawking  ceased. 

By  this  time  the  disorder  had  reached  Ira 
Pltmkett.  He  paused  one  moment  on  the 
brink,  and  then  plunged  in  with  a  mighty 
roar. 

Mrs.  Tubbs  gathered  him  up,  whispered 
to  'Bijah  sitting  bolt  upright,  his  hair  extra 
oiled,  and  his  linen  starched  and  spotless, 
"  You  stay  an'  see  th'  thing  through,"  and 
stalked  through  the  mourning  ranks  to  her 
own  cottage. 

She  stuffed  a  generous  piece  of  ginger- 
bread in  the  wide,  roaring  mouth.  "  There, 
there,  stop  your  cryin'.  Oh,  my  soul  an' 
body !  that's  th'  first  time  I  ever  come  out 
o'  a  fun'ral  till  'twas  done.  I  don't  blame 
you,  Ira  Plunkett,  no  flesh  an'  blood  could 
stan'  it  a  minute  longer." 


EIGHT 

HE  summer  boarders  began  to 
drift  homeward.  Charley  Van 
Wyck  was  the  proud  posses- 
sor of  Harriett  Taylor's  heart ; 
and  one  or  two  other  entanglements  seemed 
to  be  hopeful,  as  the  pleasant  inn  coterie 
broke  up.  Mrs.  Van  Wyck  and  Violet 
were  to  remain  a  fortnight  longer;  the 
father  and  son  going  back  to  business. 

Her  father  did  not  release  Violet  after 
his  good-by  kiss  till  he  said,  "You  are  a 
brave  little  woman,"  for  she  had  laid  bare 
all  her  heart  to  him  one  day.  That  was 
all;  but  the  girl  would  not  have  taken  a 
kingdom  for  those  words. 

"  Good-by,  papa."  She  turned  off  singing, 

155 


156  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

while  the  lumbering  old  stage  rattled  down 
the  hill. 

Two  days  later,  a  telegram  came  for  Mrs. 
Van  Wyck :  "  Father  died  of  heart  disease 
this  morning.  Come  immediately.  —  C.  A. 
Van  Wyck." 

Mrs.  Tubbs,  whom  the  innkeeper's  wife 
summoned  in  this  crisis,  found  Miss  Violet 
very  calm,  but  her  mother  was  in  a  pitiful 
state. 

"Better  stay  back  with  her,"  advised 
Sally;  "that  woman  ain't  fit  to  stir." 

But  Mrs.  Van  Wyck  became  so  very 
much  worse  at  this,  that  everybody  helped 
forward  the  departure.  A  clean,  trim  body 
in  a  white  cap  and  apron  jumped  out  of 
Richard  Blair's  trap,  that  young  man  fol- 
lowing. 

"  Miss  Violet,  I  took  the  liberty  to  bring 
her,"  —  he  found  a  quiet  moment  aside,  — 
"  you  couldn't  go  without  a  trained  nurse ; 
it  isn't  safe  for  your  mother." 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  157 

"  And  you've  been  to  town  for  her."  His 
horse  was  flecked  with  foam.  "  How  very 
kind ! " 

"Don't  say  a  word."  He  noticed  how 
thin  her  hand  was  as  she  extended  it  to 
him,  and  he  took  it  for  a  moment,  rushed 
upstairs,  and  packed  his  dress-suit  case. 
And  at  the  last  moment  he  joined  them  at 
the  New  York  train,  having  driven  himself 
over  after  the  stage  had  gone,  leaving  trap 
and  horse  at  the  livery  stable.  A  letter 
from  Hastings,  received  in  the  last  mail, 
was  in  his  pocket.  The  first  lines  were, 
"Fairbrother  has  landed  his  heiress;  en- 
gaged to  Miss  Schoerbaum,  daughter  of  a 
rich  brewer." 

Mrs.  Tubbs  looked  in  the  glass  that  morn- 
ing at  her  gray  hair.  "  Land  o'  Goshen ! 
why  couldn't  it  be  white?  —  there's  some 
sense  to  that;  it  looks  clean.  But  this 
clam-soup  colour  seems  dirty  's  a  pig."  She 
pulled  at  the  offending  locks,  and  slapped 


158  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

on  her  bonnet.  Her  dress  bagged  in  front, 
for  she  grew  more  gaunt  every  day;  Mr. 
Tubbs,  on  the  other  hand,  took  on  flesh, 
but  the  "  rheumatics  "  knocked  at  his  bones 
for  admission  with  greater  frequency,  till 
for  the  most  part  of  the  day  he  sat  smok- 
ing his  corn-cob  pipe  without  the  cottage 
door,  or  if  within,  he  had  one  eye  on  the 
clock,  to  tell  the  blessed  hour  for  dinner. 
Sally  never  told  him  to  mind  the  baby,  for 
that  drove  him  off. 

She  set  forth  from  the  cottage,  carrying 
Ira  Plunkett  on  her  arm  to  the  village  store, 
for  he  went  everywhere  with  her.  "Fer 
heaven's  sake,  Sally,"  called  the  widow 
Panks  over  the  fence, "  give  that  young  one 
to  me,  I'll  keep  him  till  you  git  home." 

"  Thank  you,  Nancy,"  —  Sally  bowed  po- 
litely,—  "but  with  all  your  'xperience,  I 
favour  carryin'  my  baby." 

"I  won't  ask  you  again,"  declared  the 
widow,  much  offended. 


SALLY,   MES.   TUBES  159 

"  No,  you  needn't,  'cause  I'm  always  goin' 
to  carry  him  till  his  legs  stretch  an'  he 
walks  pretty  alongside  o'  me." 

The  idlers  on  the  Hillsboro  Tavern  steps 
saw  her  go  by,  Ira  Plunkett  on  her  arm. 

"  What's  that  she's  got  ?  "  A  man  pushed 
through  the  group. 

"It's  Mis'  Tubbs's  baby,"  said  two  or 
three  Hillsboroites. 

"Where'dshegitit?" 

"  Durn  it  all,  how  sharp  ye  can  be,  Jed,  f  er 
news !  I  don't  wonder,  seein'  ye  ben  gone 
so  long." 

"Where'dshegitit?" 

Jed  Simmons,  returned,  as  he  announced, 
for  a  few  days,  was  quite  a  different  man 
from  Jed  Simmons  who  narrowly  escaped 
confinement  for  vagrancy.  He  had  on  good 
clothes,  and  seemed  to  have  money  in  his 
pocket. 

They  hastened  to  answer. 

"'Twas  left  to  her,"  said  one. 


160  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

"  Quite  a  fortin',"  haw-hawed  another. 

"  Give  us  th'  yarn."  Jed  squared  his 
shoulders,  and  his  eyes  gleamed. 

"It's  old  Abram  Plunkett's  grandchild." 

Jed's  hands,  hanging  by  his  sides,  clenched, 
and  he  swore  a  mighty  oath. 

"  Is  that  true  ?  "  he  roared. 

"Yes,  his  darter  Jane  brung  it,  then 
scooted  an'  left  it  fer  Sally  to  take 
care  on." 

"If  you're  a-tellin'  me  wrong,  I'll  kill 
ye,"  said  Jed. 

They  moved  off,  but  remembering  how 
good  Sally  had  been  to  him,  thought  after 
all  it  wasn't  so  very  strange  he  should  get 
so  excited.  He  cleared  his  throat. 

"Don't  you  tell  Sally  Plunkett  I've  come 
back,  fer  a  few  days." 

"  He  wants  to  s'prise  her,"  they  explained 
among  themselves. 

Then  came  the  telegram  that  afternoon 
with  the  fatal  news,  and  Mrs.  Tubbs's  hours 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  161 

and  minutes  were  full  getting  the  Van 
Wycks  off.  She  left  the  baby  asleep  in  his 
box,  and  came  to  Mr.  Tubbs's  side  by  the 
cottage  door,  where  the  old  corn-cob  pipe 
was  going  full  strength. 

« 'Bijah." 

"  Yes'm." 

"I  hate  to  trouble  ye,  but  I've  got  to 
this  once.  Ye  must  watch  Ira  Plunkett.  I 
can't  take  him  down  to  th'  hoiel.  My 
senses !  ye  know  I  can't.  An'  ye  must  be 
sure  now  an'  don't  let  him  wake  up." 

"  I  ain't  likely  to  rouse  that  young  one," 
said  'Bijah,  with  deeper  scorn  than  usual. 
"  You  comin'  home  quick  ?  " 

"  Yes.  "Well,  if  he  sneezes,  you  put  this 
over  him."  Sally  brought  out  from  the 
bedroom  the  remnants  of  an  old  quilt  and 
laid  it  on  the  chair  next  to  Mr.  Tubbs,  where 
he  sat  smoking  his  pipe.  "An5  don't  slap 
it  on,  but  be  real  careful,  or  he'll  wake  up." 
She  went  and  hung  over  the  box  a  minute, 


162  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

anxiety  all  over  her  face.  "  Well,  I've  got 
to  go ;  he'll  sleep,  I  guess.  Now,  'Bijah, 
remember." 

Mr.  Tubbs  remained  a  long  time  in  per- 
fect silence  after  his  spouse  departed.  The 
insects  droned  without  the  door  over  Sally's 
bright  bed  of  asters,  and  off  in  the  distance 
came  the  sound  of  the  Panks  children  at 
play.  All  else  was  dreamy  and  quiet. 

"  If  he  sneezes ! "  'Bijah  exclaimed. 
"Well,  what  of  it?  A  cat  sneezes,  an' 
'tain't  no  ways  more  important  when  a  baby 
doos.  Now  if  I  don't  hear  him  sneeze,  I 
won't  have  to  cover  him  up,  an'  then  he 
won't  cry." 

This  being  good  reasoning,  Mr.  Tubbs  got 
out  of  his  chair  briskly,  and  with  a  guilty 
glance  within,  skipped  around  to  the  other 
side  of  the  house.  "  She'll  stay  up  to  th'  inn 
a  good  spell  like  enough.  When  women 
has  to  be  packed  off,  'tain't  no  easy  job.  I 
won't  sleep  but  forty  winks."  He  threw 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  163 

himself  on  the  grass  under  the  apple  trees, 
and  was  soon  snoring  happily. 

The  latch  of  Mrs.  Tubbs's  green  door 
could  click,  therefore,  and  no  one  be  the 
wiser.  The  man  who  entered  needed  no 
one  to  tell  him  that  in  that  box  lay  his 
child.  And  having  every  right  in  the  sight 
of  the  law,  he  first  feasted  his  eyes  on  the 
little  face;  then  proceeded  to  those  other 
rights  of  possession. 

Ira  Plunkett  stirred  in  his  sleep.  "  It's 
your  dad,"  said  Jed,  "  your  dad,  who's  hun- 
gry f er  a  sight  o'  your  face  —  your  dad  as 
hain't  seen  you  since  th'  woman  who  bore 
you  slunk  away  in  th'  night.  I'd  told  her 
to  go  nex'  day,  fer  she  made  hell  fer  you 
an'  me ;  but  she  took  you  unbeknownst  — 
then  writ  that  you  was  dead."  Here  followed 
a  string  of  curses,  dreadful  to  hear  any- 
where, but  unspeakable  above  a  baby's 
slumber. 

"  What  could  I  expect :  her  mother  a  cir- 


164  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

cus-girl,  an'  her  father  worse  yet,  though  I 
didn't  know  'twas  old  Plunkett  when  I  mar- 
ried th'  girl.  He  was  Jim  Isaacs  then,  an' 
he  had  one  foot  in  th'  grave ;  but  he  lived 
long  enough,  it  seems,  to  tell  that  woman 
where  to  go  if  she  got  into  trouble,  an' 
fasten  on  to  th'  darter  of  th'  brother  he 
robbed."  He  shaded  his  fierce  eyes  with  a 
big  hand,  and  gazed  at  his  boy,  then  shook 
his  fist  in  rage,  turned,  and  looking  out  of 
the  small  window,  saw  Mr.  Tubbs  flat  on  his 
back,  with  mouth  wide  open,  in  peaceful  rest. 

Jed  Simmons  went  out  quickly  and 
around  the  house. 

"  Here,  hello  you !  "  He  shook  'Bijah, 
whose  watery  eyes  roved  aimlessly. 

"  Oh,  that  you,  Jed  ?  "  as  he  came  back 
to  consciousness. 

"  About  my  size.  Git  up,  I've  got  some- 
thin'  to  say  to  ye,  'Bijah.  That  baby  in 
there  is  mine,  ye  know,"  pointing  with  his 
thumb  toward  the  window. 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  165 

'Bijah  nodded  and  sat  up.  "  Sally  's  ben 
a-takin'  care  of  th'  young  one  ever  sence  that 
woman  run  away  ?  " 

Mr.  Tubbs  nodded  again.  Then  his  little 
pale  eyes  gleamed  at  a  mighty  idea.  "  She  's 
had  an  orful  hard  time,"  he  said  impress- 
ively. 

Jed's  fingers  clutched  at  a  branch  on  the 
apple  tree  and  snapped  it  off. 

"  She  's  gin  up  her  washin'  fer  th'  inn 
folks,"  went  on  'Bijah,  plaintively ;  "  an' 
she  don't  sleep  nights,  an'  I  d'no  how  she 
stands  it.  An'  he  just  eats  orful,  an'  cries 
an'  bawls,  an'  Mis'  Tubbs  is  about  clear 
wore  out." 

"Where  is  she  now?"  demanded  Ira 
Plunkett's  father. 

"I  d'no  'xactly."  Mr.  Tubbs  excused 
himself  for  this  statement  by  the  reflection 
that  it  was  impossible  to  know  at  that  pre- 
cise moment  the  whereabouts  of  his  spouse. 
"  She's  maybe  on  th'  stage ;  how  can  I  tell?" 


166  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

he  reflected.  "If  she  thought  Miss  Van 
Wyck  wanted  her,  like  enough  she'd  drive 
over  to  th'  deepo'  with  'em." 

"I  did  want  to  see  her,"  said  Jed, 
thoughtfully. 

Mr.  Tubbs,  now  thoroughly  alarmed, 
sprang  to  his  feet.  "  Oh,  my  soul  an'  body, 
Jed  Simmons!"  he  piped  in  a  thin,  high 
voice,  "  if  you're  a-goin'  to  take  that  baby, 
an'  I  s'pose,  o'  course,  you  be,  seein'  it's 
yourn,  you  better  do  it  when  Sally  ain't  to 
home.  She  thinks  she's  got  to  take  care  of 
it,  an'  you  know  when  she  gits  that  on  her 
mind,  there  ain't  no  doin'  nothin'  with  her." 

Didn't  he  know  something  of  the  Plunk- 
ett  conscience  ? 

"'Nough  said."  Jed  was  making  for  the 
house. 

"  I'll  help  ye,"  said  'Bijah,  on  a  joyful 
key,  tripping  after  him. 

It  was  soon  done.  Strange  to  say,  by 
some  perversity  of  fate,  at  this  most  critical 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  167 

moment  of  his  life,  Ira  Plunkett  failed  to 
wake  up.  His  little  cap  that  Sally  made 
for  his  airings,  was  crammed  down  over  his 
head,  the  few  articles  that  appeared  to  be- 
long to  a  baby,  made  into  a  bundle,  and  Jed, 
his  boy  on  his  arm,  turned  to  say  :  "  Ye  tell 
her  how  'tis.  I  wanted  to  see  her  first." 

"I'll  tell  her."  'Bijah  nodded,  reserving 
his  rights  as  to  the  limits  of  the  story. 

"  An'  my  sister  from  York  State  is  liv- 
in'  with  me  an'  will  take  good  care  of  th' 
boy." 

"Yes  — yes,"  said  Mr.  Tubbs. 

*  *  *  *  *  # 

Mrs.  Tubbs  wiped  her  hot  face  on  her 
checked  apron  as  the  stage  rumbled  away. 
They  were  not  all  drops  of  perspiration ; 
something  else  made  her  eyes  dim. 

"  I  feel 's  if  there'd  ben  a  death  to  my 
own  house.  Th'  pretty  creeter!  Well,  I 
hope  that  Mr.  Fairbrother  won't  never  be 
heard  from,  for  t'other  one'll  make  her  th' 


168  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

best  husband,  to  my  way  o'  thinkin'.  But 
my  sakes  !  I  must  hurry  home.  If  Ira 
Plunkett  should  bawl,  what  would  Mr. 
Tubbs  do?" 

She  hugged  herself  with  delight,  despite 
her  fear  this  picture  conjured  up,  at  the 
thought  of  home  and  husband  and  baby ; 
and  by  the  time  she  came  in  sight  of  the 
tiny  cottage,  she  was  lost  in  blissful  dreams 
of  the  future,  and  had  Ira  Plunkett  well  out 
of  short  clothes,  and  trudging  off  to  the 
district  school  with  his  book  and  slate. 

There  sat  'Bijah  placidly  smoking  by  the 
green  door. 

"An*  how  thankful  I  ought  to  be  that 
I've  got  my  husband,  Mr.  Tubbs  —  ain't  he 
nice  a-settin'  there?  What  did  I  ever  do 
without  him?" 


NINE 


R.  TUBES  simply  said,  "Jed 
come  an'  took  th'  baby," 
and  kept  out  of  Sally's  way 
as  much  as  possible  except  at 
mealtime.  And  there  was  general  re- 
joicing all  over  the  village  at  the  with- 
drawal of  Ira  Plunkett. 

"  Now  that  woman'll  have  some  peace." 
There  was  but  one  mind  about  it. 

Mrs.  Tubbs  was  a  little  late  the  next 
morning  with  her  cart  to  take  the  soiled 
clothes  left  by  the  Van  Wycks ;  they  were 
to  be  done  up  and  sent  to  them  at  New 
York.  It  was  a  big  wash,  and  the  cart 
was  heavy. 

Sally's  head  was  bent,  and  her  teeth  set 


170  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

hard.  Her  face  was  ashy  pale ;  but  she 
strode  on,  the  twigs  in  her  path  snapping 
under  her  tread. 

Suddenly  she  dropped  the  knotted  rope, 
plunged  into  a  thicket  of  scrub  oaks,  and 
tumbled  to  her  knees.  "  I  said  you'd  be 
mean,  Lord,  if  you  took  away  my  baby. 
I  wrastled  all  night,  an'  now  I  gin  up. 
I  take  it  all  back.  Of  course  his  dad  orter 
have  him.  I've  got  Mr.  Tubbs ;  thank 
you  fer  that."  She  got  up,  twitched  the 
rope  fast  in  her  hard,  crooked  fingers,  and 
marched  on. 

Just  as  everything  was  to  his  mind, 
'Bijah  fell  into  a  bad  state.  He  watched 
Sally  furtively;  turned  away  from  several 
dishes  hitherto  most  alluring,  and  became 
peaked  again. 

Mrs.  Tubbs  shook  with  alarm,  and  plied 
all  her  arts  to  tempt  his  palate,  pinching 
herself  to  pay  the  equivalent  to  the  butcher 
and  the  grocer.  It  was  singular  that  she 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  171 

discovered  about  this  time  that  it  wasn't 
healthy  for  her  to  eat  so  much. 

"  I  ain't  goin'  to  church,"  he  said  at  last, 
one  Sunday  when  Mrs.  Tubbs  laid  out  his 
clean  clothes. 

Sally  sat  right  down  and  folded  her 
hard  hands.  "  You  must  be  sick.  I'll  git 
Dr.  Blodgett." 

"  If  you  go  for  him,  I'll  run  away." 
'Bijah  was  really  savage. 

Life  without  Mr.  Tubbs  was  not  to  be 
contemplated.  Sally  sat  numb  in  her  chair. 

"  I  ain't  sick,"  he  snarled  at  her,  then 
went  out  and  actually  slammed  the  door. 

She  was  sitting  there  when  he  came  in. 
"What's  th'  matter?"  he  asked  peevishly. 

"  Nothin'." 

"  There  is,  too.  Lord !  why  don't  you  spit 
it  out?" 

"  Nothin',  'Bijah."  It  was  a  very  meek 
voice,  but  Mr.  Tubbs  wished  a  volcano  had 
spouted,  and  he  trembled  like  a  leaf. 


172  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

"Mr.  Tubbs,  set  down  in  that  cheer  a 
minute,"  Sally  pointed  to  a  broken-backed 
article.  "No,  not  too  close,  'cause  'tain't 
proper  now,  bein  's  things  has  changed. 
I've  ben  thinkin'." 

Mr.  Tubbs  dropped  where  indicated. 

"I  see  now  'twarn't  best  that  you  an' 
me  should  merry.  I  wanted  to  be  Mrs. 
Tubbs,  an'  I  thought  I  could  take  care  on 
you,  an',  'Bijah,  you  was  a-livin'  on  cold  pork 
an'  bread  that  you  got  Tilly  Munson  to 
make  fer  you.  Oh  Lord!  an'  I  knew  I 
could  give  you  jest  what  you  hankered  after. 
I  honestly  did,  'Bijah,  's  true  's  I  set  here. 
An'  when  you  fleshed  up,  an'  got  that  scare- 
crow look  off  you,  I  says, '  There,  Lord,  don't 
you  see  I  knew  best  ? '  But  I  didn't,  'Bijah." 
Sally's  long  neck  bent  till  the  gray  head 
dropped. 

"  Well,  I  must  get  through."  Up  came 
her  head.  "  Mr.  Tubbs,"  she  said  suddenly, 
"th'  Lord's  mightier'n  you  or  me,  an'  he 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  173 

let  Sally  Plunkett  go  th'  length  o'  her  chain, 
then  up  she  comes.  'Tain't  no  use  talkin', 
it's  got  to  be  did.  I'm  a-goin'  down  to  Par- 
son Elwood's  to  see  if  there  ain't  some  way 
to  unhitch  us  two." 

«  Sally !  Sally !  "  shrilled  Mr.  Tubbs.  He 
ran  out  of  his  chair,  and  over  to  her,  grasp- 
ing her  blue-checked  apron. 

"  No,  no,"  said  Mrs.  Tubbs,  waving  him 
off,  "go  back  to  your  cheer,  Mr.  Tubbs. 
'Tain't  proper  's  long  's  we're  goin'  to  be  un- 
merried." 

"  Sally,  I  want  to  tell  you  somethin'.  I 
don't  want  you  to  go  to  th'  parson." 

"  I  must,  'Bijah,"  said  his  wife,  sorrow- 
fully. "  'S  soon  's  I  find  out  how  it  really 
is,  my  dooty  p'ints  that  way." 

"  You  shan't,"  'Bijah  was  seized  with  sud- 
den strength;  "you'll  walk  over  my  dead 
body  first." 

"I  shan't  walk  over  no  dead  bodies, 
'Bijah,"  said  Mrs.  Tubbs.  "  But  it's  got  to 


174  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

be  did.  There  ain't  no  use  in  talkin'.  I'll 
do  your  cookin'  fer  you  when  you  go  back 
home ;  fer  of  course  you  can't  live  here,  that 
would  be  unproper," — she  swallowed  hard, 
—  "  an'  I'll  put  some  paper  on  your  wall,  an' 
fix  things  up  tidy.  An'  I'll  make  you  pies 
twict  a  week  an'  carry  'em  down." 

Mr.  Tubbs  burst  out  crying  like  a  big 
baby,  and  fell  on  his  knees.  "Oh  Lord, 
Sally !  I  ain't  never  had  no  peace  till  you 
was  Mis'  Tubbs.  I've  ben  starved,  an'  every- 
body looked  down  on  'Bijah  Tubbs,  but  you. 
An'  I  couldn't  keep  my  clothes  clean,  and 
they  was  all  rags  underneath,  an'  only  a 
good  shirt  fer  Sunday.  An'  now  you're 
a-goin'.  Boo-hoo-hoo ! " 

Over  Mrs.  Tubbs's  long  face  broke  a 
strange  light.  The  gray  hair  seemed  a  halo 
above  a  radiance  that  grew  more  luminous 
every  minute.  But  it  went  out  suddenly. 

"Yes,  you've  got  to  go.  Oh  Lord!  you 
can't  never  live  with  me  after  —  after  —  I 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  175 

tell  you,  Sally."  A  convulsion  in  his  throat 
made  an  awful  pause.  "  I'm  a  sinful  man. 
Oh  Lord  !  I  don't  darst  go  to  church,  Sally. 
Mm!  I  told  Jed  Simmons  to  take  that 
baby.  Mm  —  m!"  He  fell  flat  to  the 
floor  on  his  face. 

Mrs.  Tubbs  ran  and  picked  him  up. 
"  You  set  here  right  on  my  lap,  'Bijah. 
There,  there,  don't  cry.  Oh,  Lord  'a'  mercy ! 
we're  all  poor,  sinful  creeters,  an'  He  knows, 
an'  gives  us  another  chanst,  'Bijah  —  Mr. 
Tubbs,  listen,  an'  stop  cryin'.  P'r'aps  'twas 
my  fault  for  carin'  so  much  about  that  baby 
when  I'd  got  you.  An'  th'  Lord  thought 
Jed  had  better  come  an'  get  him,  bein  's 
he's  his  father." 

"  But  I  as  good  as  told  a  lie." 

"I  know,  'Bijah,  that's  awful,  I  ain't 
a-denyin'  that,  an'  you'll  have  to  work  on 
your  knees  a  good  spell  to  make  it  up  with 
th'  Lord.  But  'tain't  right  fer  me  to  desert 
you,  'Bijah,"  —  she  stroked  his  poor  bald 


176  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

head,  —  "an'  gin  you  up,  because  you  fell 
from  grace.  My  land,  ain't  I  steeped  in 
evil !  ain't  all  us  poor  mortals  born  unto  sin 
and  in  th'  ways  thereof !  So  as  you're  really 
glad  I'm  Mrs.  Tubbs,  it's  my  dooty  to  stay." 

"  If  you  warn't  Mrs.  Tubbs,"  said  'Bijah, 
sniffling  hard,  "  I'd  feel  dretful.  An'  'tain't 
th'  pies  neither.  You've  ben  real  good  to 
me,  Sally,  an'  I  ain't  goin'  to  have  rheu- 
matics no  more." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tubbs  were  late  to  church 
that  one  Sunday  morning.  Parson  Elwood 
took  her  to  task  for  it  in  the  intermission, 
but  she  bore  it  with  an  airy  indifference. 
"Couldn't  seem  to  make  it  convenient  to 
git  here  no  sooner,"  she  said  calmly. 

When  Jed  Simmons's  letter  came  inside  a 
bright  red  shawl  for  Sally,  Mrs.  Tubbs  sat 
immediately  down  and  answered  it,  thank- 
ing him  for  writing  her  such  pretty  words 
for  what  she'd  done  for  the  baby,  and  how 
she  knew  'twas  natural  he  wanted  his  boy, 


SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES  177 

and  how  she  hoped  he'd  grow  up  like  her 
father,  and  would  he  please  see  that  Ira 
Plunkett  didn't  forget  her,  and  keep  flannel 
on  his  stomach  when  the  weather  turned  cold. 
"Though  p'r'aps  you'll  change  his  name 
now,  bein  's  he  warn't  baptized,"  the  letter 
ended.  "  I  should  take  it  real  polite  if  you 
wouldn't;  but  mebbe  you  want  somethin' 
from  th'  Simmons  side." 

Mrs.  Tubbs  was  submerged  in  joy  when  a 
letter  came  back.  Jed  said  after  all  she'd 
done  for  him,  and  all  her  father  had  suffered, 
he  reckoned  it  a  pity  if  the  name  shouldn't 
stick  to  the  boy.  So  he  and  his  sister  had 
taken  the  child  to  church  last  Sunday,  and 
there  he  was  at  the  present  moment,  Ira 
Plunkett,  fast  and  sure,  kicking  up  his  heels 
on  the  kitchen  floor ;  and  he  (Jed)  would  do 
his  liveliest  to  make  him  grow  up  a  good 
boy,  and  not  in  the  very  slightest  particular 
to  resemble  that  old  scoundrel  his  granddad. 

And  Sally  laughed  and  cried  over  this, 


178  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

and  tucked  the  letter  into  her  "Pilgrim's 
Progress  "  on  the  centre-table.  And  every 
Sunday  afternoon  'Bijah  and  she  would  take 
it  out  and  read  it  over  and  over,  under  the 
photograph  framed  in  shells  and  pine  cones, 
where  she  and  Mr.  Tubbs  were  holding  each 
other's  hands. 

"  It  looks  nice  now,  don't  it  ?  "  said  'Bijah 
once,  and  slowly  regarding  the  photograph. 

"  Didn't  she  say  so  —  the  pretty  creeter  ?  " 
beamed  Sally.  "  Well,  now,  I  wish  her 
courtin'  was  fixed  up  as  nice  as  mine, 
'Bijah,"  and  she  sighed. 

But "  her  courtin'  "  gave  no  such  promise. 
Mrs.  Tubbs  heard  nothing  more  after  the 
first  sad  epistles  from  New  York,  until  a 
long  letter  came  from  Geneva,  and  another 
from  England  that  told  of  the  Van  Wyck 
journeyings.  At  last  came  a  tiny  one. 

"  DEAK  MKS.  TUBES  :  My  husband  and  I 
reached  home  last  week."  Mrs.  Tubbs 


SALLY,   MRS.  TUBES  179 

dropped    the    letter.     "Read    it    through, 
Sally."     'Bijah  picked  it  up. 

"  No,  you  read  it.  I'm  all  of  a  tremble. 
An'  so  she's  merried.  How  I  do  wish  'twas 
to  t'other  one ! " 

"We  were  married  in  England,"  read 
Mr.  Tubbs,  slowly,  "  and  left  mamma  over 
there  with  Charley  and  his  wife.  I'm  the 
happiest  woman  in  the  world." 

"No,  she  ain't,"  said  Mrs.  Tubbs,  de- 
cidedly. 

"  And  I  see  things  differently  now  from 
what  they  appeared  to  a  foolish  girl.  Well, 
I  will  tell  you  all  about  it,  for  my  husband 
and  I  are  going  down  to  the  dear  old  place 
for  a  few  days,  and  I  want  to  see  my  dear 
Mrs.  Tubbs,  so  good-by  till  then. 

"  Affectionately, 
"  VIOLET  VAN  WYCK  BLAIR." 

"Blair!"  screamed  Mrs.  Tubbs.  "You 
hain't  read  it  right,  'Bijah,"  snatching  at 
the  letter. 


180  SALLY,   MRS.   TUBES 

"  She's  writ  Blair,"  said  Mr.  Tubbs,  "  an' 
I  s'pose  she  knows,"  relinquishing  it. 

"  Oh  my  Lord !  "  cried  Sally  in  a  trans- 
port, "t'other  one's  got  her,  'Bijah!"  She 
seized  both  of  his  thin  little  hands.  "  I  ain't 
never  goin'  to  disbelieve  th'  Lord  again. 
He's  kinder  roundabout,  sometimes,  but  He 
gits  there ;  an'  you  an'  I  must  buckle  to  an' 
do  things  f er  Him.  But,  my  land !  "  —  she 
sprang  from  her  chair  —  "  th'  apple  pies  is 
all  out,  an'  here  I  set." 


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Wherever  there  exists  a  child  or  a  "  grown-up  "  to  whom  the  Pepper 
family  has  become  dear,  there  is  a  loving  and  vociferous  welcome  for 
these  charming,  characteristic,  and  delightful  "  Stories  Polly  Pepper 

THE  ADVENTURES  OF  JOEL  PEPPER 

I2mo,  cloth.   Illustrated  by  Sears  Gallagher,  postpaid,  $1.50. 
This  Pepper  book  is  just  as  bright  and  just  as  much  a  child's  favorite  as 
the  others  in  the  famous  series.     Harum-scarum  "  Joey  "  is  a  lovable  boy. 

FIVE  LITTLE  PEPPERS  ABROAD 

I2mo,  cloth.     Illustrated  by  Fanny  Cory.     Postpaid,  $1.50. 

In  new  scenes  and  new  experiences  the  brightness,  the  wit,  the  kindli- 
ness, the  keen  knowledge  of  child  nature  that  have  made  all  the  Pepper 
Books  so  irresistible,  are  just  as  conspicuous  as  they  have  been  in  the 
Pepper  stories  at  home. 


Lothrop  Publishing  Company  -   -   Boston 


BARREL 

OF   THE   BLESSED    ISLES 

By  IRVING  BACHELLER,  Author  of  "  Efaen  Holden " 
and  "  D'ri  and  I."  With  a  beautiful  frontispiece  drawn 
by  Arthur  I.  Keller.  I2mo.  Red  silk  cloth,  decorative 
cover.  Price,  $1.50. 

TN  this  good  old  BARREL,  the  village  clock 
tinker,  lovable  and  noble,  Mr.  Bacheller 
has  given  us  a  character  every  bit  as  attrac- 
tive and  interesting  as  Eben  Holden.  The 
story  is  laid  in  the  North  country  which  Mr. 
Bacheller  has  made  dear  to  readers  of  "  Eben 
Holden,"  and  contains  the  same  wholesome 
atmosphere  which  made  "Eben  Holden"  be- 
loved by  the  million  readers  of  that  book, 
and  in  addition  is  a  story  containing  a  power- 
ful, fascinating,  mysterious  plot,  full  of  action 
and  heart  interest 

Lothrop  Publishing  Company  -   -  Boston 


The   Lions  of  the   Lord 

By   HARRY   LEON  WILSON 

Author  of  "  The  Spenders."  Six  illustrations  by  Rose  Cecil 
O'Neill,  bound  in  dark  green  cloth,  illustrated  cover,  12010. 
$1.50,  postpaid. 

In  his  romance  of  the  old  West,  "  The  Lions  of  the  Lord," 
Mr.  Wilson,  whose  "  The  Spenders  "  is  one  of  the  successes 
of  the  present  year,  shows  an  advance  in  strength  and  grasp 
both  in  art  and  life.  It  is  a  thrilling  tale  of  the  Mormon  set- 
tlement of  Salt  Lake  City,  with  all  its  grotesque  comedy, 
grim  tragedy,  and  import  to  American  civilization.  The 
author's  feeling  for  the  Western  scenery  affords  him  an 
opportunity  for  many  graphic  pen  pictures,  and  he  is  equally 
strong  in  character  and  in  description.  For  the  first  time  in 
a  novel  is  the  tragi-comedy  of  the  Mormon  development 
adequately  set  forth.  Nothing  fresher  or  more  vital  has 
been  produced  by  a  native  novelist. 


The   Spenders 

By   HARRY   LEON   WILSON 
55th  Thousand 

Author  of  "The  Lions  of  the  Lord."     Red  silk  cloth,  rough 
edges,    picture    cover.      Six  illustrations   by   Rose   Cecil 
O'Neill.     I2mo.     $1.50,  postpaid. 
Mark  Twain  writes  to  the  author :  "  It  cost  me  my  day 

yesterday.     You  owe  me  £400.     But  never  mind,  I  forgive 

you  for  the  book's  sake." 

Louisville  Courier-Journal  says i  "If  there  is  such  a  thing 
as  the  American  novel  of  a  new  method,  this  is  one.  Abso- 
lutely to  be  enjoyed  is  it  from  the  first  page  to  the  last." 

Harry  Thurston  Peck,  in  the  New  York  American,  says : 

"  The  very  best  two  books  written  by  Americans  during  the 
past  year  have  been  '  The  Spenders,'  by  Harry  Leon  Wilson, 
and  « The  Pit,'  by  Frank  Norris." 

LOTHROP    PUBLISHING    COMPANY,   BOSTON 


The  Master  of  Warlock 

By  GEORGE  GARY  EGGLESTON,  Author  of  "Dor- 
othy South/'  "A  Carolina  Cavalier."  Six  Illustrations 
by  C.  D.  Williams.  J2mo.  Dark  red  cloth,  illustrated 
cover,  gilt  top,  rough  edges.  Price,  $1.50  each. 

"HPHE  MASTER  OF  WARLOCK  "has  an  interest- 
•*•  ing  plot,  and  is  full  of  purity  of  sentiment,  charm  of 
atmosphere,  and  stirring  doings.  One  of  the  typical  family 
feuds  of  Virginia  separates  the  lovers  at  first ;  but,  when 
the  hero  goes  to  the  war,  the  heroise  undergoes  many 
hardships  and  adventures  to  serve  him,  and  they  are  hap- 
pily united  in  the  end. 

Dorothy  South 

A  STORY  OF  VIRGINIA  JUST  BEFORE  THE  WAR 

Baltimore  Sun  says: 

"  No  writer  in  the  score  and  more  of  novelists  now  ex- 
ploiting the  Southern  field  can,  for  a  moment,  compare  in 
truth  and  interest  to  Mr.  Eggleston.  In  the  novel  before 
us  we  have  a  peculiarly  interesting  picture  of  the  Virginian 
in  the  late  fifties.  We  are  taken  into  the  life  of  the  people. 
We  are  shown  the  hearts  of  men  and  women.  Characters 
are  clearly  drawn,  and  incidents  are  skilfully  presented. 

A  Carolina  Cavalier 

A  STIRRING  TALE  OF  WAR  AND  ADVENTURE 

Philadelphia  Home  Advocate  says: 

"As  a  love  story,  'A  Carolina  Cavalier' is  sweet  and 
true ;  but  as  a  patriotic  novel,  it  is  grand  and  inspiring. 
We  have  seldom  found  a  stronger  and  simpler  appeal  to 
our  manhood  and  love  of  country." 

Lothrop  Publishing  Company  -  -  Boston 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

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